Yours Lovingly
by Avanish
Summary: Even after Voldemort is dead, things begin to get complicated for Harry when he starts getting letters from an anonymous person, claiming to be in love with him. Could it be Cho? Or Ginny? Will Harry be able to cope up with a new DADA teacher?
1. The Diary

CHAPTER 1  
The Diary  
  
The girl's mother was close to tears. She obviously felt uncomfortable with her daughter's idea of apparating to Diagon Alley alone.  
  
"I always thought this was a bad idea." She shivered slightly. "Why don't you let us take you the normal way?"  
  
She nudged her husband to support her.  
  
"Honey!" said the girl's father, who is middle aged and slightly bald headed. "She is seventeen now and she already passed the apparition test. So, I don't think there is anything to worry about."  
  
"Thank you very much father," said the girl gratefully. "I think I should get going. I will come back by evening so that we can leave early in the morning tomorrow." The girl raised her wand and muttered a few words and vanished in thin air, leaving her father to calm down her mother, who was positively howling.  
  
The girl instantly reappeared in Diagon alley. She was fascinated by the freedom of being left alone so that she could do her shopping peacefully. She couldn't tell whether she was happy or sad now that this was the last year at school. Being a fully trained witch would open doors to many possibilities and an enticing future. However, it would also mean not having a special someone in front of her eyes all the time...  
  
She caught herself before drifting back into the painfully familiar thoughts. "Honestly!" she said to herself. "I have one more year to stay at Hogwarts, which is plenty of time to tell him what I feel for him."  
  
With this thought in her mind, she took an envelope out of her pocket that bore a large green 'H' on it. This would be the last time she received any letter from school. The thought was bitter, but somehow, she managed to shake it off and headed towards the shops.  
  
She quickly scanned her list of school supplies for anything new and specific for the year. She had most of them. She only had to buy an advanced potion kit and a book called 'Analysis of the unforgivable curses and how to confront them'.  
  
She sighed deeply and said to herself. "One fun year this is going to be. Being exposed to unforgivable curses."  
  
After buying everything, she was about to dissaparate, when suddenly her eyes fell on a store that she had never visited before. The store was called 'Lucky Supplies' and the girl wondered what the name meant. She was intrigued with curiosity. She hesitated for a moment and headed off towards the store.  
  
When she first entered the shop, she was surprised to see that it was the most unusual place she had ever been to. The paint on the walls was peeling off and things were scattered all over the floor. She wouldn't have believed they were actually for sale if she hadn't seen the price tags on them. The floor was filled with amulets and talismans of all kinds, spell cards that supposedly make your wishes come true, incanted dolls, wish boxes, lucky lockets, miniature broomsticks, candles, and scented oils.  
  
The atmosphere was eerie and the girl was glad that there was no one in the shop except her and the owner. She would better leave before anyone caught her in that place. She turned towards the door and was about to leave when she tripped on a book of some kind. It was the only book that she saw in that place and it was rather grand with a golden colored cover and silver embroidered borders. It's the kind of a book that can never be missed. She picked up the book, curious to know what it was for. She was about to open it, when the shop keeper approached her.  
  
The shopkeeper was old and had a bent back. His clothes were ragged and he had a squashed face, which made the girl remember a cat called Crookshanks.  
  
"Ah, the diary!" said the shop keeper. "Now that's 10 sickles if you want to buy it."  
  
The girl was suddenly aware that she had to leave before someone came in. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to buy anything in here. I was just looking...I have to leave."  
  
"Leave?" said the shop keeper with a raised eyebrow. "How many times in your life do you think you will get a chance to be an owner of this magnificent diary?"  
  
"Er," said the girl, "What exactly does this diary do?"  
  
"The diary is incanted to bring luck to anyone who uses it. Before opening the diary, ask it to fulfill one wish of yours and it will do the rest for you."  
  
The girl didn't understand how exactly a diary could make her wish come true. However, she was attracted to its exterior. It certainly wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. Besides she certainly was planning to keep a journal of her own.  
  
"I will take it!" said the girl. She paid for it and left the shop, feeling cheerful than she was before.  
  
After coming out of the shop, she held the diary firmly in front of her. "Hey, you are supposed to be my lucky charm. Then just make sure the person I love loves me back."  
  
She put the diary inside her bag and raised her wand. Before dissaparating, she said one last time. "I love you Harry."  
  
Harry woke up with a start. He had been dreaming about someone in a peculiar shop, holding a book of some kind. The book was the only part of the dream he clearly remembered. The girl headed out of the shop and said something to the book that woke Harry up.  
  
Harry got up, put his glasses on and went to the window. It was early in the morning and Privet drive looked as normal as it could possibly look on an early summer morning. Harry looked into the dawning sky and wondered who the girl could be. The more he was trying to hold on to the dream, the faster it seemed to be fading away. At last he gave up. He was certain about one thing. Whoever the girl was, she seemed to be in love with him.  
  
A tingling sensation ran through his spine that he thought woke him up. Some one in love with Harry potter? The thought was exhilarating and for a while he wondered who it could be? Could it be Cho?  
  
He realized he hadn't thought about Cho since his fifth year at Hogwarts. After learning about the Prophecy from Dumbledore, he took for granted that there wasn't going to be a prospect of a normal life in his future. He felt everything was of unimportance except what lay ahead. He was furtively preparing himself for the great confrontation with Voldemort, when suddenly in his 6th year, he found himself facing his worst fears. Years of hate, despair and deprivation made him plunge his head into Voldemort's ribs and before he even had time to recover, Harry pointed his wand at Voldemort's forehead and fiercely shouted the killing curse.  
  
Harry shuddered at the thought. His action was totally spontaneous and he was totally drained of his potency. He found himself in the hospital wing at Hogwarts with all the teachers looking thoroughly pleased with something. The first thing he wanted to do was to talk to Dumbledore and find out what happened, when Dumbledore suddenly approached his bed and said the golden words. "Voldemort is dead, Harry."  
  
At that time, Harry was sure he could have produced the world's best Patrons. He destroyed Voldemort. He was free. He was going to start a safe and peaceful year at Hogwarts and nothing could deprive him of the normal life he always wished to lead.  
  
He thought of the dream for a while again and wished it would come true. Now that he doesn't have to worry about Voldemort, it's time to be in a relationship. He wanted to love. He wanted to be loved. He wanted to obtain everything he had missed on since he was born. If this wish came true, his life would be perfect. He was also excited at the thought that he could now ask Cho out without any distractions encircling his mind.  
  
He was suddenly pulled back into reality with a loud knock on the door. It was Aunt Petunia and Harry was sure that nothing she could say could depress him any longer. He was surprised she woke up early in the morning, and politely answered the door.  
  
"Good morning, Aunt Petunia!" greeted Harry.  
  
Aunt Petunia said nothing for a while. It was an awkward silence and Aunt Petunia was the first one to break it. "So."  
  
"Er, I don't understand Aunt Petunia," said Harry trying to be as polite as possible.  
  
"When are you leaving?" asked Aunt Petunia with a note of impatience in her voice.  
  
"Oh!" Harry almost forgot. Aunt Petunia, Dudley, and Uncle Vernon were going somewhere on a vacation and he was supposed to leave. He wrote to Mrs. Weasley and she was more than glad to let him stay in the Burrow for the rest of the summer.  
  
"Sorry Aunt Petunia," said Harry. "I almost forgot. I will just freshen up and get going."  
  
Aunt Petunia still stood there as if she was pondering whether to ask him something or not.  
  
"How are you going to go?" said she finally. She quickly added, "Not that I care or anything."  
  
"I am going to use my broomstick. I can't apparate with my trunk and Hedwig's cage."  
  
"Whatever you do, just make sure no one sees you," said Aunt Petunia stiffly and strode off downstairs.  
  
Harry sighed deeply and went into the bathroom. He came out, fully dressed and went to his trunk. He put back his Transfiguration book he had been reading before into his trunk and locked it. He went downstairs, with his trunk in one hand, and Hedwig's cage in the other, while his broom stick obediently followed him by his side.  
  
Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were standing near the door as if waiting for him to leave. The moment Uncle Vernon saw the broom stick soaring in midair by itself, he bellowed, "WHAT THE DEVIL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?"  
  
For a moment, Harry didn't understand what Uncle Vernon was talking about. He followed Uncle Vernon's eyes and realized that his broom stick was the cause of his panic.  
  
"I can't hold it since my hands are full," said Harry. "It's quite harmless by the way."  
  
"WHATEVER IT IS, JUST GET IT OUT OF MY SIGHT!" snarled uncle Vernon.  
  
Harry mumbled a quick goodbye to the both of them. He left the house and reached the spot at the cornet of Privet drive, where he was planning to take off from. From there, he was conspicuous, being hidden by the trees. With out any further ado, he tied his trunk and Hedwig's cage to the broom stick with 2 thick ropes he acquired the day before from Aunt Petunia. Double checking to make sure everything was intact, he mounted on his broom and took off into the clear sky.  
  
Mr. Weasley had described him in his mail how to reach their house by broom stick and he had been revising the route from the moment he got it. By now, he knew it by heart and he was glad to see that the surroundings below were just as Mr. Weasley had described them.  
  
It seemed to take ages to get there. After a thoroughly exhausting journey, Harry reached the Burrow and his heart leapt with happiness at the sight of the magically held house. He was going to spend the rest of his summer at his favorite place. He wondered if he could take any more good news.  
  
He halted right in front of the Burrow and approached the front door. He wasn't sure if there was a bell of some kind to let them know he was out side. Every time he came there, it was with Ron and Mrs. Weasley seemed to know and opened the door for them. He speculated if she would do the same. Just when he was wondering if he should knock first, Mrs. Weasley opened the door and greeted him.  
  
"Hello Harry dear!" said Mrs. Weasley. "It's so nice to see you. We were just starting to worry if you followed the directions correctly. Oh, come on in!"  
  
"No problems with the directions Mrs. Weasley," said Harry as he came in.  
  
"I am glad. We were just getting ready for breakfast. Come and join us," said Mrs. Weasley and strode off towards the kitchen.  
  
Harry now knew where every room in the burrow was as his own. He went upstairs to Ron's room, put his belongings in a corner and went down to the kitchen where everyone was sitting for Breakfast.  
  
The kitchen was small and was cramped with an old wooden table and chairs in the middle. Just as he entered, he was greeted from all directions.  
  
"Harry!"  
  
"How are you mate?"  
  
"I am fine," beamed Harry.  
  
"Nice to see you Harry," said Mr. Weasley, a middle aged man, with square spectacles and a slightly bald head.  
  
"Thanks for letting me stay here, Mr. Weasley," said Harry gratefully. "I was getting restless."  
  
"Don't mention it Harry. We were actually planning to ask you if you could come and stay here for the summer. In the meanwhile we got your letter."  
  
"Hey Harry," said Fred and George together, "how is that revolting cousin of yours?"  
  
"He is good," answered Harry. "And big," he added, which made the twins howl with laughter.  
  
Harry turned to Ron. "Did you get any letter from Hermione?"  
  
"Why? She is right here of course," said Ron, loading his plate with second helpings of sausages.  
  
"She is!" exclaimed Harry. "She never wrote to me this summer and I was getting a bit worried."  
  
"Oh. Come on Harry. It's Hermione. You know her."  
  
"But still-" he was cut short by Mrs. Weasley beckoning him to eat his sausages before they got cold. They didn't speak until they finished their breakfast and Ron and Harry hurried upstairs to their room.  
  
"You know," said Ron, "the Daily prophet is filled with news about you and your fight with Vol-Voldemort last year." Ron looked surprised at his own daring. Harry was glad.  
  
"Now that he is dead, things should be perfect for you," continued Ron. "After all that he did to you.Wait a minute Harry, I didn't have time to ask you last year. Dumbledore wouldn't let us talk to you after that fight. He said the end of term exams were cancelled on behalf of Voldemort's death," he shuddered again at the name but continued swiftly, "and we didn't even have a chance to talk to you. How exactly did you kill Voldemort Harry?"  
  
Harry waited for Ron to finish. "Well, I don't know how exactly I did it. I was surprised my killing curse worked the first time. Dumbledore told me that I was emotionally wrecked and the sight of Voldemort provided me enough energy to get back what I have missed on. So, without even thinking, I knocked him out by slamming my head into his ribs and I pointed my wand to his forehead and said the curse. I passed out right after that."  
  
"So the rumors were right. You did use the killing curse," said Ron impressed.  
  
"They are. I was terrified when I woke up in the hospital wing. I thought they would put me in Azkaban-"  
  
"Put you in Azkaban? What would they do that for?"  
  
Hermione and Ginny came and sat on the bed Harry and Ron were sitting on.  
  
"Why Harry?" repeated Hermione. "Why would they want to put the 'Boy who killed the Dark Lord' in Azkaban?"  
  
"For using the Killing curse," said Harry through gritted teeth. "Now you tell me why you didn't contact me over the summer."  
  
Hermione looked uncomfortable. It was her turn to give explanation.  
  
"I am really sorry Harry," said Hermione guiltily. "Things sort of went out of hand at my house lately. My dad insists I have to continue as a healer, which I don't want to be by the way. Just because they are dentists, it doesn't mean that I have to be one. I was really depressed. I didn't know what to do.  
  
Nothing seemed to be viable. I wasn't myself the whole summer. I know it's not a good reason for not sending you an owl. Besides, I thought after what had happened you should be left alone with out any disturbance for a while," she finished.  
  
Hermione knew her excuse didn't satisfy Harry. "I am sorry," she added.  
  
This seemed to cool down Harry a bit. She was right. He did want to be left alone for a while after going back to the Dursleys.  
  
"It's alright," he said, feeling sorry for Hermione's situation. "Don't worry about it."  
  
Hermione seemed greatly relieved. Beside her, Ginny let out a fake cough as if to let them know that she existed.  
  
"Oh, Hello Ginny," greeted Harry. He felt awkward.  
  
"So what are you two up to?" asked Ron, turning towards Ginny. "You and Hermione seem to be spending a lot of time in your room lately."  
  
"It's none of your business," snapped Ginny. "We girls have a hundred things to share between ourselves."  
  
Looking at Ron's offended face, she quickly added, "Come on Ron, we were just busy doing some research. Hermione's findings were quite fascinating!"  
  
"Hermione Syndrome," muttered Ron to Harry. "Quite contagious!"  
  
Harry forced a laugh. He noticed that Hermione had a troubled expression on her face.  
  
There was a tap on the window and Harry saw that it was an owl. It was slightly bigger than Pigwidgeon. It flew to Pigwidgeon's cage, took a sip of water from the bowl (Pigwidgeon greatly disproved of it), and flew to Harry and settled on his shoulder.  
  
Harry untied the letter and the owl flew through the window back into the clear sky.  
  
They looked at the unexpected owl soar through the sky for a while and when it disappeared, turned their gaze to the letter in Harry's hands.  
  
"Who is it from Harry?" asked Hermione, slightly anxious.  
  
Harry was used to sharing his personal stuff with his best friends. He didn't look any more uncomfortable than he was before. Ginny was about to excuse herself, but Harry stopped her saying she didn't need to.  
  
"It doesn't say who it is from. Let me read it."  
  
As he read the letter, he realized he was regretting every moment he asked Ginny to stay there.  
  
Looking at Harry's face, Ron asked, "Who is it from Harry?"  
  
Harry didn't answer. He quietly passed the letter to Ron and suddenly seemed to be greatly interested in the frog spawn in the jar at the window sill.  
  
Ron looked at the letter and much to the annoyance of Harry started reading it aloud.  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
Sorry for not mentioning my name. I am not sure if I should. For all  
I know, you haven't a slightest clue as to who I am and I prefer it  
to be that way till I decide it's time. I didn't even want to send  
this letter to you, but I can't resist this any longer. I have  
waited 2 full years to tell you this Harry. I Love you.  
  
I fell in love with the bravery you possessed when you fought  
Voldemort single handedly.  
  
I fell in love with the concern you showed in your bright emerald  
eyes when you saved Fleur's sister in the second task in the  
Triwizard Tournament, even though it wasn't your job to do so.  
  
I fell in love with the compassion you exhibited when I heard that  
you gave your entire Triwizard winnings to the Weasley twins.  
  
Lastly I fell in love with you when you undertook such a great risk  
to share your knowledge of Defense against the Dark Arts and started  
an entire army of yours.  
  
I know I won't be able to know your reaction if you don't know who I  
am in the first place. But the fact that I let you know what I feel  
for you will be more than enough to calm down my heart for the time  
being. You can expect me to show you myself or tell you who I am in  
some way or the other before I leave Hogwarts forever. But for now,  
bye Harry. I love you. Take care.  
  
Yours lovingly  
Your me  
  
Ron looked at Harry, not knowing what to speak. Hermione was looking with her mouth slightly open. Before she could say something, Ron blurted out.  
  
"WHO TOLD THIS GIRL THAT HARRY GAVE HIS TRIWIZARD WINNINGS TO FRED AND GEORGE?"  
  
Hermione shook her head fervently and Ginny bit her lip.  
  
"Ginny!" said Ron aghast, "You did it?"  
  
"I did what?" said Ginny defensively. "I didn't send that letter!"  
  
She looked uncomfortable. "I was just about to say I told people that Harry gave his money to Fred and George."  
  
"But why did you even do that?" asked Ron, his voice slightly menacing.  
  
"Oh Ron," said Ginny in a voice that indicated deep annoyance, "I just wanted people to know. Besides even mum asked me to spread it. She wanted to give full credit to Harry."  
  
Ron was about to say something and was cut short by Hermione. Her eyes rounded on Harry and she was looking at him intently. "So, what do you think Harry?"  
  
Harry wasn't paying attention to the conversation. He was too busy thinking about the dream and the letter.  
  
"Er, what Hermione?"  
  
"I asked whom do you think this letter is from," repeated Hermione, looking concerned.  
  
Harry thought about this a bit. He looked at Hermione and saw that she looked hopeful for his answer.  
  
He finally said, "I think its Cho."  
  
Ginny giggled. Even Ron seemed to forget the matter regarding Fred and George.  
  
"Cho?" said Ron with amusement in his voice that made Harry look away again. "Isn't she the one you kissed in our fifth year?"  
  
Hermione threw Ron a nasty look that wiped the smirk off his face. "Harry, if you think its Cho, I think you have to go and directly ask her. I mean," she pondered for the right words, "you fancy Cho and if she loves you, then I don't think there is any problem in this. Besides, I think you deserve it."  
  
Harry felt grateful for Hermione. He wanted to confide everything in her. He looked at her intently as if trying to convey a message.  
  
Hermione got what Harry was trying to say. She beckoned Ginny to go downstairs with her and later returned without her.  
  
"So," she said as she sat down on the bed. Harry thought she looked exhausted. But she was enthusiastic all the same. "What did you want to tell, Harry?"  
  
"I recently had a dream that somehow relates to this letter," said Harry.  
  
Hermione was looking at him with great attention. Ron, however found everything rather amusing.  
  
"A dream! Harry, dreams never come true. I don't think it's worth your time to think about it."  
  
"I know dreams are silly. But this was one of the few dreams I had that had an air of reality in them. As you know, I dreamt about Voldemort and most of the time, they turned out to be right. I also dreamt about your dad getting injured and I was right then too. This was sort of like that." He felt stupid. "It's as if I was there."  
  
"Never mind him Harry." Hermione cut in. "So what was the dream about?"  
  
Harry wanted to make things as brief as possible. "It was about this girl. I couldn't see her face. She was holding a book of some kind and said something about loving me and then I felt a tingling sensation and I woke up."  
  
Hermione was at the edge of her seat. "So you think this is the same girl?"  
  
"I think so. Anyways, I don't think it's that much of an importance. When time comes, she will show up herself".  
  
Hermione looked slightly disappointed. She finally said, "As a girl, Harry, I understand how she feels like. When she does show up, just make sure you justify your reasons before making any decisions."  
  
"Hermione!" said Ron loudly. "Harry just arrived and don't bore him with your silly lectures. Want to play a game of Quidditch Harry? Fred and George are ready!"  
  
Without speaking another word, Harry and Ron left downstairs in high spirits leaving an extremely annoyed Hermione behind.  
  
****** The rest of the summer passed very quickly much to Harry's disappointment. However, as he approached the start of the term at Hogwarts, he was left with memorable events that he thought he would cherish his whole life.  
  
He went to Fred and George's Joke shop, experimented with quite a few of their products, played Quidditch, degnomed the garden, visited Hogsmaede and did a whole bunch of other stuff he lost track of. He was poignant when he realized that their train to Hogwarts was the very next day.  
  
"I got all your school supplies for you Harry," said Mrs. Weasley before they went to bed.  
  
Harry completely forgot about his school supplies. "Thank you very much Mrs. Weasley," he said gratefully.  
  
"Don't mention it, dear," said Mrs. Weasley and swiftly closed the door behind her.  
  
Harry woke up the next day and got ready to go to Hogwarts. He was sad for leaving the Burrow behind. But the prospect of going to his home-like Hogwarts was more than enough to keep up his good mood.  
  
Harry thanked Mrs. Weasley again for all that she did to him. She was the only one, who he considered next to his mother.  
  
"Have a great year Harry. Remember to visit us after school. You don't need an invitation!"  
  
As the train started moving, Mrs. Weasley dissaparated and Harry was on his way home. 


	2. The Unexpected Problem

CHAPTER 2  
The Unexpected Problem  
  
Harry, Ron, Hermione sat in the same compartment in the Hogwarts express. Harry was having the same feeling he had when he was going to Hogwarts for the first time. But this time, he wasn't going to be disappointed.  
  
He thought of Sirius. His presence would have made his day. Except for the fact that Sirius was absent among them, Harry had a rather cheerful journey. He played miniature Quidditch with Ron, bought candies, chocolate frogs, every flavor beans, and had an in depth discussion of Quidditch strategies with Ron (Ron had been the keeper for the Gryffindor team since his fifth year at Hogwarts). Even his arch enemy, Draco Malfoy seemed to think better than picking a fight with Harry, which was something he never did during the previous years.  
  
Harry was relieved to go back to the castle. Rain was pouring thickly outside and all the students were eagerly waiting for the sorting to finish. They were starving.  
  
The great hall looked magnificent as it ever was. Thousands of candles were floating above them in mid-air. Ghosts were patrolling in and out of the walls giving the walls a crystallized flickering appearance. Suits of armors, unusually gleaming, were laughing at the terrified first years. Portraits (with moving pictures) seemed to have undergone a special cleaning over the summer. They were sparkling clean. The ceiling resembled the sky outside and the thunders outside occasionally filled the hall with a bright and dazzling light.  
  
Harry looked at the staff table. He noticed that one of the chairs was empty.  
  
"Who is our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" asked Harry turning towards Ron and Hermione.  
  
"Looks like they didn't find one," replied Ron.  
  
"But, they are supposed to find some one, right?" said Hermione with a tensed expression on her face. "I mean, it's an extremely important subject."  
  
"Hermione, it makes sense," said Ron. "Since Voldemort is dead, we don't need Defense Against the Dark Arts anymore."  
  
"Ron!" interjected Hermione. "What are you talking about? You never know. Besides, there are death eaters all over the place. Not all of them are caught, are they?"  
  
Ron rolled his eyes and turned his attention towards the empty plates, anticipating them to be filled.  
  
Harry turned towards Snape, his least favorite teacher at Hogwarts. This time, Snape didn't have the usual dung-under-the-nose expression on his face. He seemed to be looking forward to something. When he turned towards Harry, his eyes narrowed with an evil grin and Harry was confirmed that Snape still had his share of vengeance stored for him.  
  
But I don't have to be concerned with what he is thinking. After all, I dropped out of Potions last year and he can't do a thing to me. Evil git.  
  
After the sorting hat had been taken away, Dumbledore stood up and loudly cleared his throat. The whole hall went silent.  
  
"Good evening students, teachers and ghosts. Hope you all had a brilliant summer. I had a rather fascinating one myself!  
  
"First things first. As you all know, last year, our student Harry Potter risked his own life to relieve the wizarding world of Lord Voldemort, and eventually succeeded in his endeavor. I would like to take this opportunity to announce that Harry potter has been nominated to receive the Order of Merlin."  
  
This was too much for Harry to take in. As soon as Dumbledore finished, the whole hall, except the Slytherin table, exploded with applause. Hundreds of eyes turned towards Harry and he felt awkward at being the center of attention. He briefly looked up and spotted Cho in the crowd with a look of admiration on her face. Didn't he dream of this before?  
  
"Of course, Harry won't receive the Order until he is officially out of Hogwarts," continued Dumbledore when the applause died away, "but I deeply congratulate him for his achievement.  
  
"Now coming back to the same old matters, the list of formidable acts in the vicinity of campus is posted on the door of Mr. Filch's office. The forbidden forest is out of bounds to all the students. Lastly, let me introduce to our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Snape."  
  
Harry's Jaw dropped.  
  
It was the Slytherin table's turn to fill the hall with cheerful ovation.  
  
"What the-"  
  
All of his excitement was wiped out by Dumbledore's last words. He absolutely wasn't anticipating Snape for a teacher in his last year. Defense Against the Dark Arts was his favorite of all the subjects, and Snape was going to seize the chance to make it his worst. He looked around at his table and realized that he wasn't the only one who had the expression of having eaten freshly squeezed Bobotuber puss on his face.  
  
"From this year on," continued Dumbledore swiftly as if not aware of the furious looks he was receiving from the students, "Professor Snape will be teaching both Potions and Defense Against The Dark Arts. Now it's time for dinner. Enjoy your selves." He finished and took his seat.  
  
"Enjoy ourselves?" muttered Ron furiously. "With Snape? I think Dumbledore had gone insane!"  
  
"I was already expecting this," said Hermione superiorly. "The main reason Snape wasn't allowed to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts was because of Voldemort, considering, he was death eater for half his life. Since Voldemort is no more, Dumbledore need not fear him rejoining the Death eaters."  
  
"You don't understand Hermione. He made us buy the unforgivable curses book. Didn't want to let go of them, did he? Now he is going to have real fun time experimenting them on us. Lucky Harry is resistant to that curse," said Ron with a loathsome tone.  
  
Hermione opened her mouth as if to argue, but thought better than to defend Snape right under Ron's nose.  
  
"Just let go of the topic Ron. We have the whole year to discuss this," said Harry grimly.  
  
"Don't worry Harry. You know most of the stuff anyway. That's enough to start on your Auror training after school. Besides, I have never seen anyone produce a perfect Patronus like you do and no one can take it away from you," said Hermione soothingly.  
  
This didn't cheer Harry up. He looked at his plate to find it already filled with food. He was no longer interested in what was being served. He just had some mashed potatoes, Roasted chicken, and a small jug of Pumpkin Juice and waited for the plates to clear. He wanted to be alone and think of possible ways to avoid Snape from ruining his last year at Hogwarts.  
  
After the plates turned back to their original sparkling state, Harry Ron and Hermione left to Gryffindor tower together. They kept quiet all the way, walking absentmindedly and didn't even realize they were in front of the fat lady, the keeper of the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.  
  
"Password?" demanded the fat lady.  
  
"Oh shoot! We don't know the password!" said Ron.  
  
"What are we going to do now?" said Harry trying to sound normal.  
  
His question was instantly answered by Neville Longbottom, a round faced and forgetful 7th year. He was running towards them shouting out the password.  
  
"MERLIN'S BEARD! MERLIN'S BEARD!" repeated Neville approaching them. "I just asked the Prefect downstairs".  
  
"I am certainly not deaf!" said the fat lady disapprovingly as she swung forward to let them in.  
  
"Thanks Neville," said Hermione after entering the common room.  
  
"Don't mention it," said Neville earnestly.  
  
Harry and Ron looked at each other. Neville was looking at Hermione with a dazed expression on his face. He seemed to be trying to look diligent, which made Harry suspect something was up.  
  
"Er, I will go to bed then," said Hermione. She mumbled quick goodbye to the three boys and left to the girls' dormitory.  
  
Harry looked at Neville. He was still staring behind Hermione and was brought back to senses by Harry's voice.  
  
"Neville, are you okay?" asked Harry, trying to sound concerned. He was having a hard time suppressing his grin.  
  
"What Harry? Oh. Ya. I am perfectly fine. I am really tired. I will go to Hermione now. Oh no! I meant to my bed."  
  
Neville looked furious at himself. Without looking at Harry and Ron, he left upstairs to the boys' dormitory.  
  
"Do you think he loves Hermione?" asked Ron after Neville left.  
  
"Isn't it obvious? I reckon what Hermione thinks." said Harry.  
  
"Didn't I get a memo or something?" said Ron impatiently. "Every body seemed to be in love except me. I wonder why!"  
  
"You can sit here and wonder about it leisurely. I am going to bed now," said Harry and strode off leaving an extremely confused Ron behind.  
  
Harry couldn't get sleep that night. He had a lot of thoughts in his mind. The letter. Cho. Snape.  
  
What am I doing? I am not supposed to be thinking about anything right now. After all Snape can do nothing worse than he already did to me so far and regarding the letter, whoever the girl is, she said she would show up. Damn it. Forget about it.  
  
The absence of Neville's usual snores told Harry that he wasn't the only one who wasn't asleep.  
  
******  
  
Harry was woken up by Ron in the morning. They both dressed and hurried to the great hall for breakfast.  
  
Hermione was already sitting at the table pouring over a book with a jug of Pumpkin juice in one hand and toast in the other.  
  
"Good morning!" she greeted them as they sat on the other side of the table.  
  
"What are you reading Hermione?" said Ron curiously. "Classes haven't even started yet!"  
  
"It's the analysis of the unforgivable curses book. Thought I would be well prepared if Snape puts the curse on me," said Hermione and returned back to reading the book.  
  
Just when Harry was buttering his toast, he heard the familiar flapping of hundreds of wings.  
  
Owl post  
  
Harry found himself hoping for another letter from his unknown lover. Sure enough, a barn owl landed in front of him right in his pumpkin juice and sprayed him and Ron all over.  
  
Harry took the letter from the owl and it took off in the direction of the owlery.  
  
His heart leapt with excitement. Ignoring the furious propositions of Ron that school owls must be trained to land properly, he opened the letter with his fingers trembling slightly.  
  
Harry read the letter. Ron peered at it over his shoulders, while Hermione continued reading her book, looking unconcerned.  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
How are you doing? I was really happy for your nomination for the  
Order of Merlin. I am proud of you Harry and only waiting to  
express it to you the 'right way'. Let me tell you. The day is not  
too far.  
  
I regret Snape being our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.  
Trust me Harry, it isn't as bad as it sounds. Just try to stay  
composed and everything will be all right.  
  
And one more thing. Those glasses need some repairing. I am sure  
you know the appropriate spell.  
  
I love you Harry. Bye and take care.  
  
Yours lovingly  
Your me  
  
After reading the letter, Harry immediately reached for his wand in his pocket and mended his glasses. He looked cheerful than usual.  
  
"You know, may be Snape being the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher isn't that bad after all," he said turning behind to face Ron. "I already know how to block curses and Snape is going to have a hard time trying to make me hop around the class!"  
  
"You weren't so confident when I told you the same thing yesterday," said Hermione teasingly, putting the book away in her bag. "But when the girl says it, it all makes much more sense, doesn't it?"  
  
"This is different Herm- wait a minute. How do you know the girl said the same thing?" asked Harry with skepticism in his voice.  
  
"It wouldn't take a genius to figure that out," replied Hermione returning to her toast. "You were suddenly comfortable with Snape teaching us."  
  
"You know what Harry?" said Ron suddenly as if he had made a very special discovery. "I think I have some clues as to who this girl could be!"  
  
"WHO?" said Harry and Hermione at once.  
  
Ron looked pleased at their enthusiasm. "Well, the girl obviously hates Snape as much as we do. So she can't be a Slytherin."  
  
Harry was amazed at Ron's presence of mind and was greatly relieved. He was dreading the fact that there was a great chance the girl could be either Millicent Bullstrode or Pansy Parkinson.  
  
"And the way she knew your glasses was askew, she must be someone who you talked to or who looked at you closely yesterday."  
  
Harry was reminded of Cho's dark eyes looking at him with full of admiration in them.  
  
"Ron!" interrupted Hermione. "Apart from us, no other girl talked to Harry yesterday and let me remind you how the entire student population turned towards Harry after Dumbledore's announcement. But I must say that the girl, not being a Slytherin, must be a great relief to Harry. He can now happily rule out Millicent Bullstrode and Pansy Parkinson from the list of suspects, right Harry?"  
  
Harry looked at Hermione, astonished at how she could read his thoughts. Hermione possessed a gift of ingenuity he always admired.  
  
Ron was about to say something, but stopped when Professor McGonagall approached him and gave him his schedule.  
  
"Double Defense Against the Dark Arts today!" he groaned, looking over at his schedule.  
  
"And double divination. What a Monday!" said Harry gloomily.  
  
"Why don't you take my advice and drop Divination?" said Hermione looking annoyed. "Honestly, I don't think you learned any thing from it so far!"  
  
"And on what basis do you say that?" shot Ron.  
  
"Well, if you really did learn something, you could have predicted who Harry's girl was by now!"  
  
Harry dropped his toast. Harry's girl?  
  
"Er, who says I can't predict? Give me some time," said Ron and closed his eyes as if thinking very hard. Hermione rolled her eyes.  
  
"I know who she is!" said Ron after a minute, grinning broadly.  
  
"Who is it then?" asked Hermione trying to suppress a laugh.  
  
Harry knew better than to pay attention to the conversation. He just sat there finishing his toast.  
  
"It's YOU!" said Ron loudly.  
  
The smile on Hermione's lips faded instantly. She looked at Ron as if he had just said an extremely nasty word.  
  
"SHUT UP RON! THINK A LITTLE BEFORE YOU SAY SOMETHING-"  
  
"Hermione, I was just-"  
  
"JOKING? IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE ABOUT TO SAY? LET ME TELL YOU. IT WASN'T AS AMUSING AS YOU THINK IT WAS!"  
  
With that, she threw an extremely vicious look at Ron and with out meeting Harry's eyes, seized her bag and left the hall.  
  
It took a moment for Harry to digest what had just happened. He hadn't expected Ron to say that, and most of all, didn't expect Hermione to react that way.  
  
"Harry-" Ron began, with a guilty expression. "You know I was-"  
  
"I know you were just joking," said Harry, trying to ignore Seamus and Dean's queries as to why Hermione fumed all of a sudden.  
  
They didn't talk anymore for the rest of the breakfast. They went back to the Gryffindor tower, took their 'Analysis of the Unforgivable curses' text book and left for Snape's class.  
  
Harry felt odd not to attend Snape's class in a dungeon. He wasn't sure if the experiences were going to get better or worst.  
  
"Mr. Potter and his sidekick Weasley arrived at last!" said Snape when they entered the class. Harry was confirmed that Snape didn't change a bit.  
  
"Five points each from Gryffindor for being late. Now go and take your seats before I take another five each," said Snape removing his greasy hair off his eyes.  
  
Harry couldn't believe it. Snape took off ten points off Gryffindor the very first day. He was tempted to hurl his textbook at Snape's unusually big nose and enjoy it bleed. However, he thought better of it and quietly took his seat at the back of the class room.  
  
"Miserable old nut!" muttered Ron as he took his seat beside Harry. "One day, I might put a dung bomb in his chair. I can't wait to see his behind swell like salami!"  
  
Harry suppressed a laugh. He spotted Hermione at the front, rapt with attention as usual. Some thing about her behavior told Harry that she was trying to avoid him and Ron.  
  
Ron seemed to have noticed this. He immediately took out a piece of parchment and scribbled something and gave it to Harry.  
  
Before he even read the first word, Snape strode over to them and snatched the parchment. He loudly cleared his throat and read it to the rest of the class.  
  
"Leave her Harry. Let her be miserable!" read Snape.  
  
Harry saw Ron go red in the face. He was worried if this would worsen Hermione and Ron's friendship. But Hermione seemed to be suddenly interested in the black board. She wasn't taking her eyes off it.  
  
"Let's see," said Snape in ecstasy, which Harry thought made him look twice as ugly than he already was. "Twenty points off Gryffindor," he spat at them.  
  
"I prefer you two sitting at the front," said Snape much to the annoyance of Hermione and conjured two chairs right in front of her.  
  
"That's better. Go and take your seat."  
  
Harry got up and walked across the classroom, hot in his face. He wished Ron would do something nasty to Snape at the moment. He would be more than glad to give him a hand.  
  
However, Ron came and took his seat with his face resembling his hair.  
  
Snape took his seat at the front of the classroom and looked around the class before continuing.  
  
"As I was saying before, the main tool for blocking any curse is your own will power. Of course, it would be incredibly foolish of me to expect anything like that from you bunch, but I will do my job. Who wants to volunteer?"  
  
It was a common knowledge that Snape normally picked students who didn't raise their hands immediately at something. Every one in the class raised their hands except.  
  
"Miss Granger"  
  
Ron! What an incredibly stupid thing you did! Now, I can't even face Harry.  
  
"MISS GRANGER"  
  
Hermione was shoved back to reality. It was the first time she trailed off without paying attention to the class. She looked furious with herself.  
  
"Y-Yes, Professor Snape."  
  
"I would like you to come forward and demonstrate your ability to block the Cruciatus curse."  
  
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" fumed Ron suddenly. "YOU DIDN'T EVEN TEACH US HOW TO BLOCK IT AND YOU EXPECT US TO DO IT?"  
  
Harry noticed his nostrils were on fire. He knew Ron had crossed his limits.  
  
"I WON'T STAND BEING TALKED TO LIKE THAT WEASLEY!" said Snape pointing his wand at Ron. "FIFTY POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR AND YOU ARE THE NEXT ONE TO DEMONSTRATE. TAKE YOUR SEAT. NOW!!!"  
  
Ron sat back in his seat and slammed his text book against the bench. Harry decided what he was going to do. If Snape made Hermione do anything inappropriate, he would petrify him right there.  
  
"Miss Granger, are you ready?"  
  
"Yes Professor," said Hermione.  
  
Snape pointed his wand at Hermione's forehead and muttered, "Crucio"  
  
Harry could see the relaxed feeling in Hermione's face. He reached for his wand in his pocket.  
  
"Jump on the table! NOW!" said Snape demandingly.  
  
This is it. The moment Hermione jumps, he will regret the day he was born.  
  
Hermione's expression changed from relaxed to serious. Harry took out his wand and was ready for what was coming.  
  
"JUMP ON THE TABLE NOW, MISS GRANGER!"  
  
Hermione however remained somber. She was unyielding and looked as if she didn't even hear Snape the second time.  
  
Harry was astonished. He looked at Ron. Even he was holding out his wand, ready to use it. They both exchanged meaningful glances and put their wands down.  
  
Hermione slowly opened her eyes. She didn't remotely look dazed and confused as one was expected to be after being inflicted upon by the Cruciatus curse.  
  
"Are you done with me Professor Snape?" she asked as if Snape had just made her do a favor for him.  
  
"D-Didn't you feel anything Miss Granger?" asked Snape, hardly audible.  
  
"I didn't feel a thing Professor. Besides, it felt good. Can I take my seat now?" said Hermione, thoroughly enjoying the ugly expression of Snape's face.  
  
"Class dismissed. You all can leave," said Snape in a distressed tone.  
  
Harry and Ron couldn't believe what just happened. Hermione blocked an unforgivable curse from Snape without a trace of difficulty and he dismissed the class without even testing Ron as he said he would.  
  
"I don't understand why Hermione is behaving like this," said Ron on their way to the great hall for lunch. "Did I do something that terrible for it to be a reason why she doesn't talk to me?"  
  
"Hermione has changed a lot over the summer," said Harry. He stopped and turning towards Ron. "I wonder what she was thinking about while Snape put the curse on her."  
  
"It doesn't really matter what she was thinking about. The point is, she blocked the curse-"  
  
"No Ron. You don't understand. It does matter. She was affected by something so deep that it could dominate the feeling of the curse. I think what you said made her feel very bad. May be she is worried I would think you were right."  
  
"May be," said Ron with a worried expression on his face. "I will apologize to her."  
  
"You should!" said Harry grimly. Both of them went and sat at the Gryffindor table, looking for a sign of bushy hair among the students.  
  
"Where is She?" said Ron looking flustered. "She didn't even have her breakfast properly!"  
  
"May be she is in the library. It's typical of her to go there whenever she is depressed."  
  
They had their lunch rather quickly and headed back to the Gryffindor tower. Harry hoped Hermione was in the common room, studying. He could personally tell her he would never think she was the one who sent the love letters.  
  
When they crawled through the portrait hole into the common room, there was no sign of Hermione there. Harry was disappointed. He and Ron went upstairs to their dormitory to fetch their 'Unfogging the future' text books, when Harry was hit right in the eye by something sharp.  
  
"IT WORKED! IT WORKED!" Harry heard Seamus bawl with excitement.  
  
"What was that about?" shot Harry at Seamus angrily. He was frantically rubbing his eye.  
  
"Sorry mate," apologized Seamus. "Dean was teaching me how to make paper airplanes!"  
  
"And why exactly do you want to make-" Ron picked up a paper airplane and enthusiastically examined it. "WOW"  
  
"These are the Muggle broom sticks!" said Ron, in a frenzied voice. "Dad told me about them once. How do they work Seamus?"  
  
"Just blow air in this hole and press it here with your two index fingers and fling it upwards into the air," said Seamus animatedly.  
  
Ron tried it and his airplane soared all the way across the room and lodged itself on the window sill.  
  
"This is so cool. Muggles have to be very clever to create stuff like this. What do you think Harry?" said Ron, now trying to blow air into the second airplane.  
  
"I wouldn't fancy being hit in the eye by something that cool. Why are you wasting your time doing these anyways?" asked Harry with a red eye.  
  
Seamus held his hands to his ears as if Harry had severely offended him with his words, "Wasting my time Harry? Do you know that these paper airplanes are normally used as love messengers in the Muggle world?"  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Harry picking up his book from his bed.  
  
"What I mean is," said Seamus with an evil grin on his face, "we are going to use these airplanes to tease the girls with out getting ourselves caught. We have great plans with them. Do you want to join us Harry?"  
  
"No thanks," said Harry and dragged Ron behind him to their divination class.  
  
Divination was painful as usual. Trelawney decided they were ready for numerology and made them do numerous calculations to predict their date of death from their date of birth.  
  
When Harry was trying to figure out if he was supposed to die crashing against the Whomping Willow or by a mere heart-attack, Professor Trelawney came over to him and said in her usual misty voice, "Something troubling you Mr. Potter? The baleful influence of Saturn on you still didn't flicker, I presume."  
  
"Er, it did actually. I am supposed to be dying at the age of 91," said Harry trying not to lose track.  
  
"91? I wonder if you should flip it over to make it a 19 dear, as I see it," said Professor Trelawney anticipating to see Harry agreeing with her.  
  
"No," said Harry, confident. "I am sure it's 91."  
  
"Very well, I would suggest you double check your work," said Professor Trelawney in a dissatisfied tone. "Come to me after class. I would like to review it for you."  
  
This was the last thing Harry ever wanted to do. Sure Trelawney was going to find some thing or the other to change it from a 91 to 19.  
  
"Hey Harry," said Ron, "I am supposed to be dying in the hands of a troll. No, wait.Oh no, a giant spider"  
  
Professor Trelawney went over to Ron, "Did you find anything so far Mr. Weasley?"  
  
"Umm.Yeah, I am supposed to be dying in a fight with a giant spider," said Ron looking over at his parchment.  
  
"Oh dear! At what age are you supposed to be indulging in that unfateful fight of yours?" asked Trelawney, thoroughly pleased.  
  
"At the age of 20" he made up.  
  
"That's much more likely to happen. I am impressed by your bold confession Mr. Weasley. You receive full marks for the day," said Trelawney spiritedly and strode off to question Parvati Patil.  
  
"I don't understand this," said Harry at the end of the class to Ron. "I had to bite my head off to come up with an answer and she doesn't believe me. You just made up something and she gives you full marks. What kind of nonsense is this?"  
  
"Just tell her you redid your calculations and you are supposed to be dying at the age of 19," said Ron, now accompanying Harry to Professor Trelawney. "She will be more than happy to accept that."  
  
Harry reached Professor Trelawney. She was sitting in her armchair with her eyes closed.  
  
"Professor, I did my calculations. As you said, I am supposed to be dying at the age of 19."  
  
Professor Trelawney didn't open her eyes or move a muscle. Harry wanted to seize the chance and leave the place before she did open her eyes and asked him to show her his work. He turned back and was about to leave, when she suddenly spoke.  
  
"THE UNKNOWN ADHERENT IS ABOUT TO COME OUT AS A BOLT FROM THE BLUE AND THE REVELATION WILL MUCH MORE OF A TWINGE THAN RELIEF FOR THE BOY WHO KILLED THE DARK LORD"  
  
Harry turned back and stared at Professor Trelawney, lost for words. He recognized the trance-like state she was in. She was all rigid and her eyes were rolled into her head. It's the only time her predictions were true, and Harry panicked. She might say who the girl was and it would cause him pain. He looked at Ron, who was staring at her as if she had suddenly transformed into a zombie.  
  
"Let's go Harry!" nudged Ron. "We don't want to see her like this!"  
  
"But-But Ron, she is-"  
  
"Let's not talk about it here, okay!"  
  
"THE GIRL NAMED-"  
  
"COME ON HARRY!!!"  
  
Harry was steered away from the room by Ron before Trelawney let out the name. He made sure they were out of earshot before he turned to Ron to speak. "What did you do that for? If we stayed there, she could have told us who the girl was!"  
  
"I just couldn't see you like that." Ron tried to explain. "You were all pale and white and I think we heard enough to worry us for now."  
  
"But, did you hear what she just said? Why would it be painful to know who loves me? I know for certain she is right, though."  
  
"I know. That's the reason I got you off from that place. You would be better off not knowing it rather than knowing it and later regretting you ever knew it."  
  
Harry decided that whatever Ron did was for his own good. He didn't complain. Yet, he was furious with Ron for preventing him from knowing what he was dying to know from the moment he had gotten the letter.  
  
Harry finally made up his mind. Whoever the girl was, he loved her. He didn't care who she was. Her letters expressed sincere love for him and he would gladly love her back. The girl made him feel something he never felt before. He could feel the girl's agony and all he ever wanted to do was embrace her and let her know that he loved her.  
  
Harry felt better. It wasn't going to be painful like Professor Trelawney had predicted.  
  
It just can't be!  
  
-TBC- 


	3. The Failed Attempt

Chapter 3  
The Failed Attempt  
  
What am I going to do now?  
  
The girl was lost in her thoughts. She was sitting alone in the library, writing in the diary she bought in Diagon Alley. She started considering it as her best friend ever since she bought it.  
  
I think I am going to have to tell you everything, Harry.  
  
The girl shuddered at the thought.  
  
What if he says no?  
  
She stared at the diary for some time as if trying to get it to solve her dilemma.  
  
Well, how would I know what he thinks of me if I don't tell him who I am?  
  
She made up her mind.  
  
I am going to tell him everything.  
  
Just when the girl was immersed in her thoughts, the door creaked loudly.  
  
"Hermione!" said Ginny in a surprised voice. "What are you doing here sitting alone? I was looking all over for you!"  
  
Hermione was brought back to reality by Ginny's words. She immediately stuffed the Diary back in her bag. Ginny noticed it.  
  
"Hermione, are you okay?"  
  
"What? Oh, yes. I am fine. It's just that I was stressed out lately, and I wanted some time alone," said Hermione, perfectly aware of the fact that her eyes were contradicting her words.  
  
"You are not the same, Hermione," said Ginny, looking concerned. "You are always quiet and gloomy. Why don't you tell me what's going on? I know it would definitely feel better than writing about it in a diary."  
  
"There is nothing to tell Ginny," said Hermione desperately. "I am perfectly fine. I am worried about something. It's of no importance. Let's leave, shall we?"  
  
"Whatever you say, Hermione. Just remember, I will be more than glad to help you anyway I can," said Ginny heading for the door.  
  
"Thanks Ginny," said Hermione. She took her bag and headed out of the library with Ginny, towards the Gryffindor tower.  
  
"Oh no!" said Hermione suddenly when they got to the portrait of the fat lady. "I forgot to check out a book on advanced transfiguration. Why don't you go ahead? I will be right back."  
  
"Just don't stay there forever," said Ginny. "I need some help with my homework."  
  
"I promise!" said Hermione and strode off downstairs. But she didn't go to the library on the third floor. Instead, she approached the statue of the one-eyed witch with a hump on her back, on the fifth floor.  
  
She tapped her wand against the witch's hump three times and muttered, "Dissendium"  
  
The witch's hump opened to reveal a passageway. She lodged herself into it and closed the hump behind her. She took a few steps forward until she reached what she was looking for.  
  
She heaved aside a stone to reveal a small opening in the wall, just enough to fit a book. She removed the diary from her bag and hid it in the opening and put the stone back in its place.  
  
She felt safe. No other place seemed to be a better option than this one. If she kept the diary with her, there was a good chance the students might find it, as they always tried to take her homework from her bag with out her knowledge. As far as she knew, only Harry, Ron, and she knew about the passageway and the other two no longer had the necessity to use it to go to Hogsmeade.  
  
She quietly headed back to the hump and heaved herself out of the statue. She felt tired. She wanted to be alone and think about how she was going to tell Harry that she was the one who sent the love letters.  
  
Trying to put the thoughts aside, she headed back to the library. She didn't want to go back empty-handed as it would definitely make Ginny suspicious. She checked out 'Advanced Transfiguration' and later met Ginny in the common room.  
  
"Why are you so late?" asked Ginny as Hermione climbed through the portrait hole. She was sitting in the common room waiting for Hermione to help her with her Arithmancy homework.  
  
"I couldn't find the book quickly. So what did you want me to help you with?"  
  
When Hermione was busy doing some calculations, Harry and Ron entered the common room.  
  
"Hermione!" Harry heaved a sigh of relief. "I am glad I found you. Where have you been since morning?"  
  
"Busy doing something," said Hermione without looking at him. She didn't want to face Harry. She knew her eyes would spill the truth sooner than she intended to.  
  
"What is that something?" interjected Ron. "Hermione, I want to apo-"  
  
"Ginny," said Hermione suddenly. "Do you mind if I explain this to you in our dormitory?"  
  
"But- But Hermione, Ron was trying to-"  
  
"I will see you later," said Hermione to Ginny and briskly strode off towards the girl's dormitory.  
  
Ron's mouth was slightly open. Ginny felt sorry for him. "Ron, she was a little bit stressed out about something. Did you say anything to her that could have made her feel bad?"  
  
"Er," said Ron, not knowing how to begin. Harry explained it for him.  
  
"You guessed it right, Ginny. Today morning, Ron said something that made Hermione go berserk. She wouldn't talk to him since then!"  
  
"And what exactly did Mr. Big mouth say to her?" she rounded on Ron. Her face showed no sympathy for him any longer.  
  
"I-I just said that she was the one to send Harry those love letters," finished Ron trying to avoid Ginny's eyes.  
  
Ginny opened her mouth in horror.  
  
"No you didn't!" exclaimed Ginny with an assorted expression of shock and fury.  
  
"I was just joking. It's not my problem if she decides to take it seriously," said Ron defensively.  
  
"Of course, it's not your problem. But you certainly created one for her. If I was in her place, I would've behaved the same way, if not, worse. I wouldn't have been able to show my face to Harry!"  
  
"But why?" Harry cut in. "Why couldn't she face me when I don't think she was the one to send those letters?"  
  
"Harry," said Ginny wisely, "you don't understand girls. As far as I know, Ron made her feel terrible and we can do nothing about it till she herself decides to come out."  
  
Ron slammed Ginny's book on the table and left with Ginny hollering behind him. "THINGS WOULD BE MUCH BETTER FOR YOU AND OTHERS IF YOU JUST STOP VENTING YOUR FRUSTRATION ON EVERYONE!"  
  
"I feel sorry for her," said Harry after a while. "I can't help her and I am supposed to be her best friend."  
  
"Don't worry Harry," said Ginny and was about to place a soothing hand on his shoulder, but immediately withdrew. She pretended as if she was about to reach for the book Ron had just dismantled. "I will talk to her."  
  
"Thanks Ginny. I will go to bed then. Good night," said Harry and left to the boy's dormitory.  
  
Ginny felt stupid. She got carried away for that one moment.  
  
Of course, it's true that I had a crush on him. But I was younger then. I didn't know better. Someone else loves Harry and I don't want to be an intruder. Thank God, Harry didn't see that!  
  
With that, she picked up her book and left for the girl's dormitory.  
  
Hermione was sitting on her bed, with her head buried in her hands. She seemed to be crying. Ginny approached her and hesitantly put a trembling hand on her shoulder. She still hadn't recovered from her brief provocation in front of Harry.  
  
Hermione turned aside, wiped her tears, and looked at Ginny. "So, what page were we in? What happened to the book?"  
  
"Ron slammed it on the table," said Ginny. "I just talked to him, and frankly speaking, it was incredibly unwise of him to say that!"  
  
"I just wished things went a little bit slow," said Hermione without thinking. "I didn't expect Ron to tell Harry so suddenly. How am I going to face Harry now?  
  
Ginny blinked. She backed off, gaping at Hermione with her mouth open. Did Hermione just say something she didn't want to hear?  
  
"H-Hermione, what do you mean you wanted things to go slow?"  
  
Hermione didn't seem to understand what Ginny was talking about. Slowly, the realization dawned over her. "Oh no!"  
  
"Just tell me the truth Hermione!" pleaded Ginny.  
  
Hermione looked around the room, wide-eyed and helpless. She could feel the burden getting heavier and heavier by the minute in her chest. It hurt. She couldn't bear it any longer. She would explode if she didn't let it out.  
  
"Do you want to know the truth?"  
  
"Did you send those-"  
  
"THAT'S RIGHT. I SENT THOSE LETTERS TO HARRY. I LOVE HIM. I LOVE HIM. I LOVE HIM. I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT HIM. SATISFIED?"  
  
Hermione was breathing hard. She couldn't believe what she just did. As she realized what had just happened, she turned her head towards the pillow and started crying so hard in it that it felt good. She never cried like that in her life before.  
  
Ginny was in tears by now. She found herself regretting every moment she asked Hermione to confide everything in her. She caught herself before she reacted the same way as Hermione and just sat there trying to digest what had just happened.  
  
After a while, Hermione stopped crying. She didn't turn back to Ginny. Ginny assumed she was asleep and went over to her bed.  
  
So, Hermione did all this. I still can't believe it. Why am I feeling so awful?  
  
She lied down on her bed and tired to sleep before she cried again.  
  
But, I am the one who loved Harry first. Why does Hermione have to ruin it for me?  
  
She suddenly slapped herself hard on the face. What was she thinking?  
  
Hermione got to be with Harry all these years. Now, it's my turn to get some attention!  
  
Ginny got up and held her head. She wanted to smack it against the wall.  
  
I am going to ruin it for Hermione! I AM!  
  
"YES! I AM!" said Ginny spitefully before falling back and drifting off to sleep.  
  
*****  
  
The next day, Hermione got up late to find that she was alone in her dormitory. It took a while for her to recollect what had happened the previous day. She was suddenly struck with a spasm of horror.  
  
Ginny knows! She knows everything! Is she going to tell?  
  
She tried to calm herself down.  
  
I have to find her before she tells Harry.  
  
She dressed quickly and headed down to the great hall to find that it was almost empty. There was no sign of Ginny there. Did Ginny tell Harry already?  
  
She went to the library, hopeful to find Ginny. When she finally found Ginny, she was horrified. Ginny was sitting with someone else.  
  
"Harry!" Hermione gasped.  
  
When she was about to head towards them, Madam Pince cornered her.  
  
"Miss Granger," said Madam Pince. "Where is the book you checked out yesterday?"  
  
Hermione was extremely annoyed. She was in a life and death situation and the book was the last thing she wanted to think about.  
  
"I see here that you checked out the book for only one night," said Madam Pince scanning a parchment in her hand.  
  
"I am sorry Madam Pince!" said Hermione desperately. "Just give me some more time and I will get it for you."  
  
Madam Pince looked extremely disapproving. She however made a note on her parchment and strode off towards a bunch of first years to tell them off for being noisy.  
  
Hermione was relieved. She however felt uncomfortable with the idea of Ginny and Harry sitting together. She was about to go to them, when Harry suddenly got up.  
  
Hermione quickly hid behind a bookshelf.  
  
"Bye Harry," said Ginny.  
  
"See you later Ginny," said Harry and left the library.  
  
Making sure Harry was out of sight, Hermione went over to Ginny and thumped her hands hard on the table.  
  
"Hermione! What are you doing?" said Ginny, surprised.  
  
"I trusted you!" said Hermione, thoroughly agitated.  
  
"What did I do?" said Ginny as if she didn't have a clue as to what Hermione was talking about.  
  
"I told you everything, thinking that you would keep my secret!"  
  
"I kept it, and am keeping it," said Ginny, returning Hermione's scowl with a comforting smile.  
  
"You mean, you didn't tell anything to Harry?"  
  
"Not a thing. Why would I tell him anyway?" said Ginny walking over to the exit and out of the library, with Hermione following her.  
  
"I don't know," said Hermione with a guilty expression. "I thought you would be furious with me for what I did till now. You know, all the love letters and stuff."  
  
"Hermione, love is a natural feeling," said Ginny reassuringly. "It's not your fault to fall in love. However, I don't like your taste."  
  
"What do you mean?" said Hermione, puzzled.  
  
"I meant," said Ginny, stopping and facing Hermione directly, "Harry is great and everything. But I don't think he suits you."  
  
"Why doesn't he?" said Hermione.  
  
"Hermione," said Ginny patiently, "you don't understand how pretty you are! There are a lot of guys waiting to date you out there, and you go ahead and chose Harry, who isn't the least bit cute."  
  
"I didn't love Harry because of the way he looks," said Hermione. "I had been with him all these years to know what an extremely loving person he is. I am sure I am going to happy with him!"  
  
"Whatever," said Ginny rolling her eyes and resumed her walking. "It's your life and I can't do anything about it. But remember one thing. If you need any help, ask me. Oh no! I am already late for transfiguration!"  
  
"Bye Ginny," said Hermione as Ginny ran towards her class.  
  
Hermione felt very light hearted. She supposed confiding everything to Ginny made the difference. She headed back to her dormitory for a refreshing shower.  
  
The next few weeks passed without any change so far. Hermione spent most of the time sitting in the library, reading.  
  
On the other hand, Ron and Harry had been patiently waiting for Hermione to make up with them on her own. But after a while, even Harry lost his patience. He went over to Hermione in the library and shouted at her.  
  
"THIS IS GOING TOO FAR HERMIONE. I THINK YOU HAVE GONE INSANE!"  
  
"I agree that I am insane," said Hermione quietly.  
  
"YOU ARE WASTING VALUBLE TIME. THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE OUR LAST AND THE MOST ENJOYABLE YEAR AT HOGWARTS AND YOU ARE MAKING IT THE WORST!"  
  
"I am sorry Harry-"  
  
"MR POTTER!"  
  
Madam Pince looked extremely exasperated. "I am sure a 7th year like you doesn't need telling off. Please leave this place before I ban you from entering the library!"  
  
Harry threw Hermione a spiteful look and left the library. On his way, he started feeling guilty.  
  
May be I was too rude to her. Oh God, please put some sense in her!  
  
In the library, Hermione felt a great sense of accomplishment. She managed to summon Harry's wand from his pocket when he was being scolded by Madam Pince.  
  
I can't believe I did this!  
  
It was totally spontaneous. She drew out her wand and conjured a white chalk out of nowhere. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to be doing what she was about to do. She had been thinking about how to tell Harry the truth since a long time. This seemed to be the perfect opportunity.  
  
She carefully wrote the words 'I love you Harry' along the length of the wand with the chalk. Taking a deep breath, she got up, seized her bag and ran towards the Gryffindor tower.  
  
She saw Harry on the staircase leading to the 6th floor.  
  
"HARRY! I HAVE TO TELL YOU SOMETHING!"  
  
Harry turned back. He was surprised for a second to see Hermione running towards him. He felt a surge of excitement. Hermione was finally going to make up.  
  
"Harry, I want to-"  
  
"Its ok," said Harry. "You don't have to say it."  
  
"Say what?" said Hermione, not knowing how to respond. Did Harry somehow find out about her?  
  
"You don't have to apologize to me," said Harry with a friendly smile.  
  
"Er, I wasn't going to apologize," said Hermione. She didn't know what else to say.  
  
This wiped the smile off Harry's face. He felt foolish.  
  
"So what were you yelling out my name for?"  
  
"I wanted to tell you that y-you dropped your wand in the library," said Hermione. She still wasn't sure if this was a good idea  
  
Harry instinctively reached for his pocket to find it empty. He felt very vulnerable without his wand.  
  
"Do you have it with you?" asked Harry anxiously.  
  
"Yes," said Hermione, the word barely coming out of her mouth.  
  
"Then give it. What are you waiting for?" said Harry impatiently.  
  
Hermione just noticed that she and Harry were 10 feet apart. It felt as if he was 10 miles away. She slowly walked towards him.  
  
What if he says no?  
  
They were 6 feet apart.  
  
I don't have to do this.  
  
They were 3 feet apart.  
  
I can erase the note on the wand..  
  
She was suddenly halted by Harry's outstretched hand.  
  
Hermione felt as if she was going to faint. She could hear her heart beating rapidly. The wand in her hand seemed to be getting heavier and heavier. Her hands were all sweaty.  
  
This is it.  
  
She raised her hand and looked directly into Harry's eyes. Those emerald eyes were directly looking into hers. Without breaking the eye contact, she dropped the wand into Harry's hand.  
  
Harry was still looking directly into Hermione's brown eyes. He wasn't able to comprehend what she was hiding behind them.  
  
"Accio Wand!"  
  
Hermione blinked. What was going on?  
  
The wand soared out of Harry's hand breaking his eye contact with Hermione. Hermione followed its path with her head buzzing. It handed right in Ginny's hands.  
  
Ginny caught it and started cleaning it fervently with the hem of her dress. She started walking towards Harry.  
  
"Harry!" said Ginny. "How often do you clean your wand?"  
  
"I didn't clean it lately," said Harry feeling mortified. "Why?"  
  
"Why?" said Ginny handing the wand to Harry. "It was literally coated with dust!"  
  
Hermione looked at the wand. There wasn't a trace of her heart on it.  
  
"Thanks Ginny," said Harry examining his wand. He looked at Hermione briefly before heading off to the Gryffindor tower.  
  
It took a while for Hermione to come out of her trance. She looked extremely upset.  
  
"Hey Hermione," said Ginny. "What happened?"  
  
"Why did you do that?" said Hermione, sounding choked.  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Why did you clean the wand?"  
  
"What's wrong with that?" said Ginny. "I know Harry would never bother to clean it. So I did it for him."  
  
"Ginny!" said Hermione sitting on a stair and holding her head in her hands. "I wrote 'I Love you' on the wand. Harry would have seen it."  
  
Ginny looked horrified.  
  
"You really did that?"  
  
Hermione nodded.  
  
"I am extremely sorry Hermione-" Ginny began.  
  
"Leave it Ginny," said Hermione. "Now, I have to find another way to do this. God, this is killing me."  
  
"Don't worry Hermione," said Ginny sitting beside Hermione. "I will think of some way to do this."  
  
"You don't have to-" began Hermione.  
  
"I want to help!" interrupted Ginny. "First, you need to get a good outfit. We will get one when we go to Hogsmeade tomorrow. Cheer up!"  
  
Hermione looked slightly cheerful. After all, Ginny was going to help her tell Harry. She didn't have to worry about it till then.  
  
Hermione and Ginny spent time together the entire afternoon. Ginny made a very good friend. Hermione told her everything. However, Ginny felt jealous. She didn't know that being in love would feel that good. She wanted to feel it. But Hermione grabbed her chance.  
  
"Good night Ginny," said Hermione going to bed. "And thanks for everything."  
  
"What are friends for?" said Ginny. She went to her bed. However she couldn't sleep.  
  
"Congratulations Ginny!" she said to herself.  
  
She turned aside and looked at the sleeping form of Hermione. "I will never let your love become successful!"  
  
With that, she slept, dreaming of Harry.  
  
***** Hermione's visit to Hogsmeade wasn't fun without Harry's company. Even Harry seemed to be furious with Hermione. He didn't even look at her when they passed each other.  
  
It's only a matter of time, Harry.  
  
"Hermione!" said Ginny shaking her. "Which world are you in?"  
  
"Nothing," said Hermione, feeling abashed.  
  
"We got to the cloth store," said Ginny. "Let's go"  
  
Hermione followed Ginny. She never came to the store before. It was huge and was filled with clothes for all occasions. When she was browsing through, her eyes fell on a maroon outfit.  
  
"Ginny!" said Hermione excitedly. "I like this!"  
  
"Go and try it in the changing room," said Ginny.  
  
Hermione went to the changing room. She put it on and was surprised to find that she looked stunning in it. She never realized she was this pretty before. She was excited at the prospect of Harry seeing her in it.  
  
She went over to Ginny who was looking at a white dress, which was rather plain.  
  
Ginny looked at her. She couldn't believe her eyes. The color suited Hermione's complexion and she looked beautiful and delicate in it. She never looked this pretty before. She quickly began to think of ways to nip the bud.  
  
"How does this look?" said Hermione, elated.  
  
"Oh my God, Hermione!" exclaimed Ginny. "This dress is exquisite! It's so dazzling!"  
  
Hermione was relieved to find that Ginny's opinion of the dress was the same as hers.  
  
"But-" said Ginny, looking uncomfortable.  
  
"But what?" asked Hermione anxiously.  
  
"Never mind. Let's go and pay for it."  
  
"We are not going till you tell me," said Hermione stubbornly. "What's wrong with this dress?"  
  
"It- It doesn't look good on you."  
  
"What are you talking about?" said Hermione. She was disappointed.  
  
"I promise," said Ginny vivaciously. "I am your best friend, right? Will I ever lie?"  
  
"No. I didn't mean you were lying-"  
  
"Then try this," said Ginny thrusting the plain white dress into Hermione's hands. "This will look good on you."  
  
"But Ginny," said Hermione, looking at the dress with distaste, "this looks so- so simple!"  
  
"That's the whole point," said Ginny. "You look good in simple clothes. I think Harry likes you that way."  
  
"Really?" said Hermione. She didn't know Harry liked her when she looked simple.  
  
"Yes!" said Ginny, feeling thoroughly excited. "The way he looks at you when you wear white, it's so romantic!"  
  
"I will take this then!" said Hermione instinctively.  
  
"That's my Herm," said Ginny looking accomplished. "Let's go pay for it then."  
  
They went to the cashier. Hermione saw that Ginny bought a green outfit. They paid for them and left the store. On the way, Ginny suddenly shrieked.  
  
"I left my money bag in the shop!" said Ginny with a tensed expression. "You stay here. I will go get it."  
  
"Come fast! We are getting late," shouted Hermione behind her.  
  
Ginny went to the shop and was pleased to find that the maroon outfit was still there. She took out the green dress from the bag she was holding and exchanged it for the maroon one.  
  
This should do. Harry is going to go head over heels when he sees me in this.  
  
She met Hermione at the same place and they both left for Hogwarts together.  
  
Ginny was in high spirits the whole afternoon. She had plans for the day.  
  
At 6, she excused herself and went to her dormitory. She had an invigorating shower and wore her best perfume. She put on the maroon outfit and let her red hair fall behind her.  
  
She stood in front of the mirror, and started admiring herself from every angle.  
  
Hermione! What an incredibly dumb person you are!  
  
Then she realized the real trouble. What was Hermione going to say if she saw her in this dress?  
  
I can somehow manage it. I won't let her spoil this for me!  
  
Just then, Hermione entered the Dormitory. She was shocked to see what Ginny was wearing.  
  
"Ginny! Isn't this the same outfit I thought of getting first?" said Hermione.  
  
"No," said Ginny not tearing her eyes from the mirror.  
  
"It is!" said Hermione confidently.  
  
"No. It's not!" said Ginny turning towards Hermione. "The dress you chose was green. This is maroon. Do you remember now?"  
  
"But-"  
  
"Hermione!" said Ginny sounding annoyed. "What's wrong with you lately? Today morning, I noticed you put pumpkin juice on your toast instead of butter. And you put Ketchup in your sandwich instead of mustard. You are not yourself these days!"  
  
Ginny noticed that Hermione was silently wiping her tears off.  
  
"Hermione," said Ginny, "I am sorry if I hurt your-"  
  
"No Ginny!" said Hermione wiping the tears off her eyes. "You are right. I am not myself these days. I became Harry's. I forget myself in his thoughts, and I don't even realize what I do."  
  
Ginny let out a short laugh. "This love thing is so complex than I thought it was. At what time did you start loving Harry anyway?"  
  
"There is a time for everything," said Hermione. "A time for sunrise and a time for sunset. A time for birth and a time for death. But there is no specific time as to when you could fall in love. When you do fall in love, you don't feel anything but love most of the time."  
  
"Hermione," said Ginny, "if you love Harry that much, why don't you just go and tell him?"  
  
"You know one thing Ginny?" said Hermione. "If a guy goes and says 'I Love you' to a girl, people think of it as heroism. And if a girl does the same thing, they term it as Sexual dispossession."  
  
"I know how you feel," said Ginny reassuringly. "Leave it to me. I will tell Harry about you."  
  
"But, will that look good?" said Hermione uncertainly.  
  
"There is a way to deal with everything," said Ginny wisely. "You just relax. In due course of time, I will make Harry revolve around you."  
  
"Thank you Ginny," said Hermione gratefully.  
  
I have to thank you, Hermione, for making it possible for me to get Harry!  
  
-TBC- 


	4. Moment of Truth

Ginny was on her way to Harry.  
  
What a perfect opportunity! Now I can get closer to Harry right under Hermione's nose. She will think I am looking for an opportunity to tell Harry about her love.  
  
Harry was sitting in the common room with Ron and Seamus. He stopped talking when Ginny came over to them.  
  
"WOW!" exclaimed Seamus. "You look gorgeous!"  
  
'Thank you," said Ginny as she sat with the three boys.  
  
"What do you want to do with us?" asked Ron skeptically.  
  
"I want to talk about Hermione," said Ginny seriously.  
  
"What about her?" asked Harry. He didn't seem to be remotely interested in anything that involved Hermione.  
  
"She has changed a lot. She is not the same Hermione I used to know," said Ginny choosing her words carefully. "These days, she is spending a lot of time in front of the mirror. She also became quite head-strong!"  
  
"It's quite obvious who spends a lot of time in front of the mirror these days," muttered Ron.  
  
Ginny suddenly looked discomfited. Harry decided to break the awkward silence. "But Ginny, we are Hermione's best friends. As far as I know, Hermione can never behave that way."  
  
"You are talking about the old Hermione," said Ginny. "I have been spending time with her all these days. No one can change her mind!"  
  
Harry wanted to change the topic. Even though Hermione had been behaving unusual lately, he didn't want to believe in anything Ginny had just mentioned.  
  
"Anyways," said Ginny as she got up, "it's none of my business. I just thought of telling you to stop hoping that Hermione would make up with you. By the way, how do I look today, Harry?"  
  
Harry was glad the subject had changed. "You look very pretty Ginny! I really like you in this dress!"  
  
"Thank you Harry," said Ginny, feeling accomplished. "By the way, good luck for tomorrow's quidditch match."  
  
With that, Ginny left the boys and headed towards the girl's dormitory. Part of her plan was a complete success. She got Harry to notice her.  
  
"Ginny!" said Hermione anxiously when Ginny arrived. "Did you tell Harry about me?"  
  
"Yes. I did," said Ginny, smiling.  
  
"What did you tell?" asked Hermione impetuously.  
  
"I told him how sweet you are!"  
  
"And?"  
  
"That's pretty much it," said Ginny and headed for the mirror.  
  
"Wait!"  
  
Hermione held Ginny's hand. She looked pleadingly into her eyes.  
  
"Didn't you tell him about my love?"  
  
"Think Hermione," said Ginny, irritated. "How will it look if I talk about love right at the beginning?"  
  
"You don't have to go through all this trouble-"  
  
"No!" interrupted Ginny. "I didn't mean it that way. You know one thing? Harry thinks you are insane!"  
  
"I know he does," said Hermione grimly.  
  
"Then how did you think I would tell him if he thinks of you that way?" asked Ginny. "First, I want to take some time to create a good impression of you in his mind. Once I am sure he is ready to take it, I will tell him."  
  
"Everything is in your hands, Ginny!" said Hermione, feeling helpless.  
  
Yes. Everything is in my hands now.  
  
Hermione couldn't sleep that night. She could feel the change that she had gone through. She felt very vulnerable.  
  
Love is so painful! But the pain itself is so pleasant!  
  
She fervently hoped that Ginny would tell Harry soon. She wouldn't feel normal till Harry knew about her.  
  
After what seemed like hours, Hermione finally fell asleep. She had a dream, in which Harry was embracing a girl she couldn't quite recognize. As she approached them, Harry pulled away from the girl.  
  
Hermione was trying to focus her attention on the girl. The girl looked back angrily at Hermione for disturbing her passionate moment with her love.  
  
Hermione got closer to the girl. All she wanted to know was who she could be. As she got nearer, she recognized the red color of the girl's hair.  
  
No. It can't be.  
  
Hermione woke up with a start. She was all sweaty and her heart was beating rapidly. She reached for the jug of water on the bedside table and drank fully.  
  
After recovering from the impact of the strange dream, she looked over at Ginny, who was sleeping peacefully. Something about Ginny didn't feel right. Was Ginny playing with her life?  
  
She shook her head. What am I thinking? Ginny is just trying to help.  
  
She took a few drops of the sleeping potion she had prepared for herself and drifted back into a dreamless sleep.  
  
The next day, Hermione went over to Professor McGonagall's office to get her N.E.W.T results.  
  
She cautiously knocked on the door. "Professor McGonagall?"  
  
"Come in Miss Granger."  
  
When Hermione entered the office, Professor McGonagall beckoned her to sit down before she spoke. "Anything bothering you, Miss Granger?"  
  
"No Professor McGonagall!" replied Hermione instantly. "Why did you ask?"  
  
"I expected you to be jubilant at the prospect of being the only Hogwarts student to give N.E.W.T.S in your 6th year. However, I don't see a trace of enthusiasm in you."  
  
Hermione didn't know what to say. She just stared at the clear sky out of the window.  
  
"Your results are here," continued Professor McGonagall after a while. "You scored the maximum in all the subjects, as usual."  
  
Hermione was holding her breath. She knew what was coming.  
  
"I don't think you would be interested in staying at Hogwarts any longer. However, I won't stop you if you want to graduate the normal way with the rest of your friends."  
  
I am not going to leave Hogwarts without letting him know about me.  
  
"Have you made a decision Miss Granger?"  
  
"I am going to stay," said Hermione finally.  
  
"I will respect any decision you may take in the future. You can leave now."  
  
Hermione got up and left McGonagall's office. She didn't feel remotely happy. Suddenly, everything seemed to be worthless. Except Harry.  
  
She returned to the statue of the one-eyed witch, lodged herself into the passageway, and went over to the place where the diary was hidden. She took the diary out of the opening and stared at it fixedly for a while.  
  
You are supposed to bring me luck. I don't see any of it yet.  
  
She sat on the ground against the wall and started pouring her heart into it. She didn't know whether the diary would give her luck for certain. However, she was sure about one thing. Whenever she wrote in the diary, it gave her a distinct feeling of reassurance. She could just sit there writing in it forever.  
  
After what seemed like hours, she finally stopped writing and hid the diary behind the stone. After crawling out of the statue and closing the statue's hump, she headed towards the library to kill some time before going to the quidditch match.  
  
*****  
  
"You all know what we are going to do," said Ron as the Gryffindor team got ready for the match. He had been the captain of the team since the last year.  
  
As they walked onto the field, the entire student population broke into a turbulent applause. The blue robed Ravenclaw team followed them after a while. Harry spotted Cho among the lot. She had been the seeker of the Ravenclaw team ever since he first saw her. There was a very good chance the love of his life was right in front of him. He had a good reason to think so.  
  
He tried to make eye contact. But Cho didn't look at him. She was talking animatedly to a boy who Harry recognized as the beater of the team.  
  
On the instruction of Madam Hooch, Ron shook hands with the Ravenclaw captain. Harry was nervous. He wasn't quite ready for the match. Not with a lot of things encircling his mind, like the presence of Cho for instance.  
  
"Mount your brooms.on my whistle.three-two-one-"  
  
Harry kicked into the air on his firebolt. He zoomed higher and higher and wheeled around the stadium, squinting around for a sign of a flash of gold. He occasionally glanced at Cho. But Cho continued not to look at Harry. She had a determined expression on her face, which Harry couldn't quite comprehend.  
  
Cho had greatly improved since the last time Harry played against her. She was forcing him to change course by cutting across him sporadically. He couldn't stop noticing her slim form soaring gracefully in the air.  
  
"HARRY!" yelled Ron through the humdrum. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? SHE SPOTTED THE SNITCH!"  
  
Harry was suddenly pulled out of his trance. He was furious with himself for trailing off. He realized that Cho was speeding towards the ground, where the snitch was flittering near one of the goal posts. He dived with all his might and tried to overtake Cho. But Cho was already there. She was just a few feet away from the snitch.  
  
Harry felt as if his glasses were about to fly off. He hastily adjusted them and by the time he was ready, Cho was just a couple of inches away from the snitch. Her face lit up as she stretched out her hand. She was about to take hold of the snitch. Suddenly, a Bludger came out of nowhere. It crashed right into Cho's outstretched hand and made her scream out aloud in agony.  
  
Harry froze in mid-air. He was completely distracted. The snitch had vanished.  
  
Both the teams halted when Madam Hooch blew out her whistle. She hurried over to Cho, who had just landed flaccidly on the grass.  
  
"Are you all right Miss Chang?" asked Madam Hooch nervously.  
  
"No," replied Cho, her face thoroughly flushed. Her hand didn't show any signs of bleeding. But it was swollen and Harry's stomach tilted as he thought of the possibility of a fracture.  
  
Madam Pomfrey came rushing to the sight. She examined Cho's hand for a while and drew out a red colored bottle from her potion kit.  
  
"This should do!" said Madam Pomfrey and sprinkled a few drops of the potion on Cho's hand.  
  
"Thank you Madam Pomfrey," said Cho after a minute. "I think I am ready to play."  
  
"Great!" Madam Hooch heaved a sigh of relief. "Is everyone ready? Mount your brooms!"  
  
Harry wasn't sure if this was the right time for Cho to play. He uncomfortably soared back in the air and shifted his attention towards the match with great difficulty. A Bludger hurtled towards him and he dodged it in the last minute as it went spinning dangerously past his head.  
  
In the crowd, Hermione was following Harry's path, occasionally drawing out her wand. She seemed to have sensed Harry's thoughts and started feeling guilty.  
  
If I had just told him before, things would have been much better!  
  
"Gryffindor in possession- Gribalski with the Quaffle- passes Jones- passes Whittington- Weasley hit hard in the face by the bludger- Ravenclaw in possession- Gryffindor back in possession-"  
  
Harry glanced at Ron, whose nose was bleeding. He ducked just in time as another Bludger came pelting towards him.  
  
"This is it!" thought Harry and soared high above the stadium to look for the Snitch. He was determined not to let Cho distract him another time. Then suddenly, he saw a glint of gold pass by his side. It was the snitch! Cho hadn't noticed it.  
  
Harry dived in after it. He experienced a mixed range of emotions as he was following the golden trail left by the snitch. He was excited at the prospect of winning the match, and at the same time, felt guilty that he was taking advantage of Cho's helplessness. For the first time in his life, he wasn't sure if he should go after the snitch. He wanted to give Cho a fair chance.  
  
But he was already there. The snitch was just at arm's length. He suddenly recalled Ron's hopeful expression just before the Quidditch match. What was he doing? Was he just thinking of losing the match?  
  
Harry impulsively stretched out his hand and clasped the snitch. The Gryffindor stands erupted with applause and Harry headed towards the ground, with the snitch fluttering helplessly in his grip. It took a while for Cho to become conscious of what had happened. Her eyes were filled with tears as she landed and ran towards the Ravenclaw end.  
  
As soon as Harry hit the ground, he was surrounded by the Gryffindor team.  
  
"What happened to you at the beginning?"  
  
"I thought you would blow it!"  
  
"I knew you would make it at the end!"  
  
But Harry wasn't paying attention to his teammates. He felt miserable. Ron seemed to have noticed his mental commotion.  
  
"Let him breathe, will you?" He shouted at his teammates.  
  
Harry felt grateful for him. All he wanted to do was to be alone. He was steered away in the direction of the boy's lockers by Ron. Once they changed, they left to the Gryffindor tower.  
  
The common room was already crowded with excited Gryffindors. Ron beckoned Harry to follow him up to the boy's dormitory. Making sure they were alone, Ron started the conversation.  
  
"You don't even know if she loves you! Why were you behaving like that out there?"  
  
Harry was expecting this. "I don't know. I just think she might be-"  
  
"But why?"  
  
"Think about it Ron," said Harry. "She was supposed to leave last year. But she stayed back, didn't she? The only reason I could think of is that she wanted to stay where I am."  
  
"Do you think Dumbledore would let her stay just because she loves someone? I reckon there is more behind this than we know. Whatever it is, you are going to go and talk to her tomorrow. I am sick of this!"  
  
Harry suddenly felt resolute. Even he was tired of waiting for her to show up and wanted to end it once for all. "I will ask her tomorrow at lunch."  
  
"Good." Ron sighed. "We are really behind in our homework due to quidditch practice. Let's go and start on it."  
  
They gathered up their parchment and books and went down to the common room.  
  
It seemed as if it took hours to finish their transfiguration homework. Professor McGonagall had asked them to write a 2 feet essay on the evolution and significance of animagi. It was one in the morning and Harry and Ron got up to go to bed, when they were approached by Dean.  
  
"Harry," said Dean apprehensively, "I need your help with something."  
  
"You would be better off asking someone else," said Harry. "I haven't even started on the essay Snape had assigned!"  
  
"No," Dean shook his head. "This is personal."  
  
Harry and Ron exchanged glances and sat down. Dean looked briefly at Ron. "I want to talk to you alone."  
  
Ron instinctively got up and left before Harry had time to stop him. He looked sternly at Dean. "What is it?"  
  
"You know Ginny very well, right?"  
  
"Yes. So?"  
  
"The thing is," Dean stammered, "I love her."  
  
This was some news for Harry. Everyone seemed to have fallen in love at the same time. "What do you want me to help you with?"  
  
"Every time I go to her to express my love, I get all nervous," said Dean without looking up. "I even forget what I went to her for and end up acting lame. Since you know Ginny so well, I was wondering if you can tell her about my love."  
  
Harry didn't know what to say. Somehow, Dean and his unknown lover seemed to be in the same situation. He however gathered up his thoughts.  
  
"I am sorry Dean," said Harry seriously. "I can't do this."  
  
"But why-"  
  
"Love is a personal thing Dean," interjected Harry. "If you were scared, why did you even love her in the first place?"  
  
Dean hung his head.  
  
"I am not saying that you made a mistake by loving Ginny," continued Harry. "I am just saying that people have to express their love themselves. If you love her that much, go ahead and tell her about it. If any problem arises, I will talk to Ginny."  
  
Dean felt comforted. He thanked Harry and they both left to the dormitory together, unaware of the fact that a third person listened to their conversation.  
  
Hermione was standing at the entrance of the stairs leading to the girl's dormitory. She was waiting for Harry to leave so that she could finish an optional assignment given by Snape in her advanced Potions class, without any distraction. That's when she spotted Dean approaching Harry.  
  
Curiosity overtook her. She stood there, listening to every detail of their conversation. After they left, she felt a surge of excitement pass through her spine.  
  
So Harry wants me to articulate my love by myself! Thank God Ginny hasn't told him yet. I am going to tell him on my own. Yes. That's what I am going to do. The time has come!  
  
She quickly left the Gryffindor tower, heading straight for the owlery. When she reached the owlery, she tore a piece of parchment she had planned to use for Snape's assignment and set it against the wall.  
  
After finishing her rather short letter to Harry, she went over to the owls that were scheduled to deliver their letters the next day. Most of them were already sporting a parchment. There was only one owl that was free to use, which Hermione thought looked a little under the weather. However, she promptly tied the parchment to its outstretched leg and left the owlery, cheerful than before.  
  
Hermione didn't even bother to work on Snape's assignment. She just went to her dormitory and slept, without the help of the sleeping potion for once.  
  
Harry hopefully looked across the great hall towards the Ravenclaw table during breakfast the next day. But there wasn't a sign of Cho. Just when he was thinking deeply as to how he could put his feelings into words once he did meet her, he was suddenly perturbed by Ron's fake cough.  
  
"See you later Harry." Ron left the table before Harry could ask him the reason. However, his question was answered almost instantly.  
  
Dean was approaching Harry with an extremely depressing expression on his face. It wasn't difficult for Harry to guess the rationale behind it.  
  
"I did as you told me to," said Dean, sitting beside Harry.  
  
"And she refused."  
  
"How did you know that-"  
  
"It was obvious. Anyways, what are you going to do now?"  
  
Dean thought for a while. "Try to forget her, I guess."  
  
"Don't give up," said Harry immediately. "I will talk to her tonight as I promised."  
  
"Thank you very much Harry! Whoever you love, she must be very lucky!"  
  
"Hope so," thought Harry.  
  
Hermione finally caught hold of Ginny during lunch. She pulled her aside out of earshot before turning to her to talk.  
  
"Ginny, I can't thank you enough for what you did till now! I think I can take it from here."  
  
"What do you mean?" said Ginny. She didn't expect Hermione to change her mind so suddenly.  
  
"You don't have to tell Harry about me."  
  
"I want to help-"  
  
"No Ginny!" interpolated Hermione. "I had it all planned. I don't want you acting as a go-between in matters like love."  
  
"But Hermione, are you sure?"  
  
"Positive!" Hermione left before Ginny could argue with her. Words defeated her. She didn't know what to do. Only one thing seemed plausible.  
  
I am going to put a period to your love tonight!  
  
It was dinner and Harry was starting to get restless. Cho was absent even during lunch. He desperately kept looking towards the Ravenclaw table, even though he knew she wasn't there at the moment. Her behavior gradually seemed to confirm his suspicions.  
  
"She even stopped writing to you!" said Ron, who was sitting right beside Harry. "What are you going to do now?"  
  
Harry already knew what he was going to do. "I will see if she shows up tomorrow. If she doesn't, I will go to her."  
  
"But, you don't know the password!"  
  
Harry looked at Ron, as if trying to convey the answer. He didn't want to talk about it with everyone around. Ron got what Harry was trying to say. He just kept quiet throughout dinner, leaving Harry alone to ponder with his thoughts.  
  
After dinner, both of them left to the Gryffindor tower together. Once in the common room, Harry suddenly remembered something.  
  
"Ron, you go ahead. I just remembered. Professor McGonagall asked me to come to her to talk about something!"  
  
Ron mumbled something about Professor McGonagall having nothing better to do and left upstairs to the boy's dormitory. Harry was now free to keep his promise.  
  
Right! Now I have to catch Ginny and talk to her about Dean.  
  
He crawled out of the portrait hole and waited for Ginny at the passageway. Ginny showed up after a while and Harry was glad she was alone.  
  
"Ginny," said Harry seriously, "I have to talk to you about something."  
  
"Even I have to tell you something," said Ginny. She hoped Harry would say what she had in her mind.  
  
"This is not the place," said Harry looking around. "Let's go to the Astronomy tower. It will be deserted by now."  
  
"Whatever you say," said Ginny and followed Harry.  
  
Harry was pleased to find that there was no one near the Astronomy tower as he expected. He led Ginny to the top of the tower and found that the sky was unusually cloudless and serene. He felt a slight chill in the air as both of them were bathed in silvery moonlight.  
  
Hermione was getting fidgety in her dormitory. The thought of finally letting Harry know about her love was very energizing. She could feel her usual charisma returning to her. For the first time in the year, she wanted to do something exciting. She stared out through the window into the clear sky and realized that it was a perfect night for stargazing. She knew what she was going to do.  
  
She quickly grabbed her unfilled star chart and a quill and left for the Astronomy tower. As she approached the summit, she heard two familiar voices.  
  
Harry and Ginny! What are they both doing up here?  
  
She tiptoed towards the door leading to the top of the tower. It was left open and Hermione had to hold on to the knob for support as she encountered the sight ahead of her. Harry and Ginny were standing away from each other, trying to avoid each other's eyes.  
  
Harry didn't know how to start. "What did you want to tell me, Ginny?"  
  
Hermione's grip on the door tightened.  
  
Ginny! I told you not to tell Harry!  
  
Ginny didn't speak. Hermione was getting restless.  
  
You came till here. Why don't you just say it and get it over with?  
  
Ginny finally spoke. "I wanted to tell you that-"  
  
Harry was waiting. Hermione was holding her breath.  
  
"I wanted to tell you that-" she stammered again.  
  
Come on Ginny. Tell him Hermione loves you.  
  
"I wanted to tell you that I love you."  
  
-TBC- 


	5. The Final Confrontation

Hermione's world was shattered after hearing to what Ginny said to Harry.  
  
No. This can't be happening! May be- May be I am hearing things!  
  
"This is not something to prank about!" said Harry, completely forgetting what he wanted to tell Ginny in the first place.  
  
"No!" said Ginny forcefully. "I am not kidding. I really love you and I know you love-"  
  
"Don't be childish!" said Harry, who could feel the anger slowly rise inside him. "I never felt for you that way!"  
  
Hermione was rooted to the spot, totally stunned. She hadn't misheard it for sure. Slowly, the reality of what had just happened began to disconsolate her and she decided to leave the place before she broke out in front of them.  
  
Harry tried to calm down. "I think you have to have time alone to rethink your feelings for me. I never behaved with you in anyway that suggested love as a possibility."  
  
Deep down, Ginny knew that Harry was telling the truth. But she somehow found her voice. "Then why were you acting so close to me these days? Why did you say you liked me in that dress? What did you want to tell me in private?"  
  
Harry let out a short laugh. "Let me make one thing clear. You were the one being unusually close to me these days. I said I liked your dress just to change the topic regarding Hermione. Now I decided against telling you what I was going to say!"  
  
"You love Hermione, don't you?" said Ginny, breathing hard. "What do you see in her that you don't see in me?"  
  
Harry's anger reached its peak at Ginny's words.  
  
"DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF WITH HERMIONE!" shouted Harry. "IF YOU WERE EVEN A BIT LIKE HER, YOU WOULDN'T BE SO INSENSIBLE!"  
  
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT HOW YOU FEEL!" Ginny was getting fanatical. The fact that she was losing to Hermione was turning her wild. "YOU HAVE TO LOVE ME. YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE!"  
  
Ginny's behavior was getting Harry to dislike her more and more by the minute. "What will you do if I say no?"  
  
"I AM GOING TO KILL MYSELF!"  
  
"Good luck! Don't forget to ask me if you need the appropriate spell." Harry left the place before Ginny had time to speak.  
  
I can't believe she would do that. What does she think of me? 'YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE!' As if I belong to her.  
  
He headed straight for the Gryffindor tower. On his way, he began to feel sorry for Dean. What would he say to him?  
  
He doesn't deserve someone like Ginny. That's what I am going to tell him!  
  
When he reached the boy's dormitory, he looked briefly at Ron. He hoped Ron wouldn't know about what had just happened. He couldn't afford to lose a friend at this point. However, he fully justified his behavior towards Ginny before going to bed.  
  
Ginny stayed at the top of the astronomy tower for a long time after Harry had left. She stared into the clear sky, feeling extremely dreary. She just lost a good friend for her stupidity.  
  
After an hour, she finally left the tower. When she reached her dormitory, it was completely dark. She could faintly trace someone sitting on the ground.  
  
"Hermione," said Ginny normally, "what are you doing sitting in the dark?"  
  
She went over to her bedside table and lighted a candle. She noticed that Hermione was sitting on the ground against her bed. "I am late because I was talking to Harry about something. I thought of telling about you, but finally decided against it since you asked me not to."  
  
Hermione was silent. Ginny didn't know what to say. "Goodnight Hermione."  
  
Ginny was about to lie down when Hermione suddenly spoke.  
  
"What were you and Harry talking about?"  
  
"Nothing of importance. You can be assured. I didn't tell him about your love."  
  
"Did you tell him about your love?"  
  
Ginny looked at Hermione, with her mouth slightly open. Hermione finally got up and came towards her. Her eyes were red and Ginny could tell that she had been crying.  
  
"Wh-What are you talking about?" stammered Ginny.  
  
"Why did you do this to me?"  
  
Ginny finally gave up trying to act innocent. Somehow, Hermione knew it.  
  
Hermione was staring at Ginny with utter disbelief. "When you said Harry didn't look good, I thought you were just teasing me. I believed you when you told me that the outfit didn't suit me. I blindly trusted you for whatever you said. Why did you do this to me? WHAT DID I DO TO YOU TO DESERVE SOMETHING LIKE THIS?"  
  
"YOU STOLE HARRY FROM ME! THAT'S WHAT YOU DID!"  
  
Hermione wasn't remotely surprised by Ginny's reaction. She waited for Ginny to continue.  
  
"I LOVED HARRY FIRST!" Ginny turned away from Hermione. She knew she made a mistake and she had to confess it. "When I learnt that you loved him, I felt jealous! I blindly justified my reason to make Harry love me instead of you."  
  
For the first time in her life, Ginny realized what crying hard felt like. She just poured all her bad intentions in front of Hermione, and was left with nothing but guilt and self-hatred.  
  
"He flatly refused to love me. I deserve this by all means!"  
  
Hermione sat there trying to scrutinize on what Ginny had just said. She didn't expect Ginny to cook up feelings of such intensity for Harry. After Ginny stopped crying, Hermione finally managed to speak.  
  
"Ginny, things would have been much better if you had told me before."  
  
Ginny was silent. Hermione continued, "Even if you put a small stone in front of your eye, it would look bigger. Hatred and jealousy are very small things that are part of everyone's life. It's our responsibility to get rid of them before they grow and rid us of our sanity."  
  
Ginny finally turned and looked directly into Hermione's eyes, which were filled with full of meaning. She realized how much damage she had done to the girl's life.  
  
"I am very sorry, Hermione!" Ginny put her hands around Hermione and began to cry in her shoulder. She could feel Hermione's tears prickle on her cheek.  
  
"I made a terrible mistake!" She looked at Hermione and held her by her shoulders. "I am going to make it up to you! I am going to go to Harry right now!"  
  
Ginny got up to leave the dormitory. Hermione held her by her hand. "You are not going to tell him!"  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Ginny incredulously. "Fine! You yourself go and tell him. What are you waiting for?"  
  
Hermione shook her head feebly, with her eyes shadowing the deepest depths of despair. Ginny understood that Hermione had already taken a decision, and it wasn't going to relieve her of her guilt.  
  
"What did you decide?" asked Ginny timidly.  
  
"You were able to bear it when he refused to love you," said Hermione, making every possible effort to keep her voice steady. "But if he does the same to me, I won't be able to bear it. Let my love stay within myself. Let it be buried in my heart forever."  
  
Ginny dropped to her knees, feeling helpless. "But-but he won't do that to you! He can't say no."  
  
"What if he says no?"  
  
"He won't-"  
  
"WHAT IF?"  
  
Ginny fell silent. Hermione made her decision. There was no use trying to argue.  
  
"Promise me you won't do anything to yourself!" said Ginny, finally giving up.  
  
"I promise," said Hermione. "What is there in me to kill anyway?"  
  
The next thing she knew, Ginny was holding Hermione by her hands and both of them started sobbing their heart out. Ginny felt so culpable for Hermione's grief that she decided that she was never going to face Harry anymore.  
  
Hermione head was starting to throb. She couldn't tell why exactly she had forgiven Ginny for what she had done. Ginny was still young and took life in a juvenile perspective. There was no use in trying to avenge her for her mistake; that wouldn't leave much difference between them both. She finally let go of Ginny and reached her bed. But she wasn't going to sleep unless she had figured out a way to end everything once for all.  
  
Only one thing seemed plausible at this point. Though the thought was painful, she didn't remotely have a choice. She was going to leave Hogwarts forever. She wanted to go away from Harry. Away from all his memories. Away from the torture he would cause just by being around..  
  
Making sure Ginny was asleep, she got up and started packing.  
  
The next day, Hermione went over to Professor McGonagall's office. Her heart wasn't sympathetic to what she was about to do. Before she knew, she was outside the office door. She took a deep breath and entered the office.  
  
Professor McGonagall looked surprised at Hermione's sudden appearance. "Yes, Miss. Granger?"  
  
"I changed my mind, Professor."  
  
"Regarding?"  
  
"I want to leave Hogwarts."  
  
Professor McGonagall looked at Hermione with concern. "Are you sure, Miss. Granger?"  
  
"I am," said Hermione firmly.  
  
"Very well, I will make arrangements for you to leave this weekend-"  
  
"Please Professor," interrupted Hermione, "If possible, I want to leave right now."  
  
Professor McGonagall looked slightly surprised. "I am afraid that's impossible, Miss. Granger. You don't even have enough experience to travel such long distances by apparition."  
  
"I talked to Hagrid this morning," said Hermione. "He said he would assist me."  
  
Professor McGonagall opened her mouth to argue, but closed it and promptly reached for her desk. She took out what looked like a golden colored envelope, and handed it over to Hermione, who looked at her in surprise.  
  
"Your Academic Records. They also include your N.E.W.T results."  
  
Hermione nodded. "Thank you Professor." She got up and was about to leave.  
  
"Miss. Granger," called Professor McGonagall. She hesitated for a second. "May I ask you the reason why you changed your mind all of a sudden?"  
  
Hermione turned. "Everything in life happens for a reason. But the reason itself isn't always clear."  
  
Hermione left, leaving Professor McGonagall alone to ponder on the real gist in Hermione's words.  
  
Hermione only had to do one thing before saying goodbye to the castle.  
  
She went over to the entrance of the great hall and stood against the door and spotted Harry at the Gryffindor table, having his breakfast. She just stood there looking at Harry with tears rolling down her cheek. Her heart turned over at the thought of not being able to see Harry again.  
  
How do I express with a heart that is shattering? How do I explicate the reason I am going? It's been so severe on me that I was scared stiff, constantly asking myself one question; "What if?"  
  
We dwelled so close by, we fostered together our past. We were a blissful mock-up of a friendship, that swore to last. But some things in life are unjust and plain rotten, if they weren't, my love for you would have been easy to be forgotten.  
  
You have cheerful eyes that were green, a smile that would confiscate my worries and return my serene. you mean more to me than you realize, I will never be able to convey, I apologize.  
  
I will miss you dearly, I will miss your say and mirth. I regret I cannot bid goodbye, this is meant to be the conclusion of my birth. How could God confer me with so much despair and pain? What is the purpose? What is there possibly to gain?  
  
But everything in life crops up for a reason, though it's not very clear. You always subsist with me, you will always be near.  
  
And so life must keep going, just like it has done before, just know my soul is always with you, yesterday, now, and evermore.  
  
I love you Harry.  
  
Hermione looked away from Harry. She couldn't take it anymore. She cupped her hands on her mouth to stifle a cry and before anyone could spot her, she ran for the Hogwart's main entrance. She looked briefly at the castle walls and the murmuring portraits before going to Hagrid's hut. It was time to get ready for the heart-splitting parting.  
  
*****  
  
After his breakfast, Harry approached Dean apprehensively. Dean looked hopefully at Harry.  
  
"Did you talk to Ginny? Were you able to change her mind? What did she say?"  
  
"Forget Ginny, Dean," said Harry. He had been preparing for the conversation since last night, and what he just said was the best thing he could come up with.  
  
"Forget her?" asked Dean disbelievingly. "Why? Did she say no?"  
  
"I can't tell you anymore than this. Ginny is not the person you think she is. You would be better off looking for someone else."  
  
Before Dean had time to talk, Harry left. He wanted to keep the conversation as short as possible. He was joined by Ron on his way to divination class.  
  
"Any luck?" asked Ron hopefully. Looking at Harry's bemused expression, he added, "Did Cho show up for breakfast?"  
  
Harry was relieved. For a split second, he thought Ron was talking about his promise to Dean. "No. She didn't."  
  
"She better show up. Or else, she is going to have a big fright tonight!"  
  
Harry forced a laugh. He wasn't really in a mood to talk. Everything seemed to be burdening him at once. At times like these, Hermione was the best person to confide into. He entered his Divination class, preparing himself to endure another hour, listening to Professor Trelawney's earsplitting lecture on the importance of N.E.W.Ts.  
  
"As you all know," said Professor Trelawney in her usual misty voice, "N.E.W.Ts is very important in determining what your future holds for you."  
  
"I am sure my future doesn't hold a lot of mist!" muttered Ron. Professor Trelawney didn't seem to notice him.  
  
"My inner eye sees the possibility of crystal ball gazing as a part of your practical examination. I would like you to revitalize your form in the subtle art of crystal ball gazing. I will come around and check on your progress."  
  
"Not some more mist!" groaned Ron. Harry and he went over to the shelves to grab their crystal balls and upon returning to their desk, turned to page 51 of their 'unfogging the future' text book and started gazing into the orb.  
  
"I don't see anything," declared Harry. He was having a very hard time trying to concentrate.  
  
"You have company, mate," said Ron looking up and taking a deep breath. "Who needs this stuff anyway? I am sure I am not considering Divination as a career opportunity."  
  
Professor Trelawney came over to Harry. "I realize you have been experiencing relentless mental trauma lately." She delicately adjusted her shawl before continuing. "What does the orb show you, dear?"  
  
By now, Harry's mind was full of smog. When he didn't reply, Professor Trelawney reached for his orb and gazed into it. After a minute she looked up at Harry mournfully. "Pain. A plight of pain in store for you. And it's not too far away!"  
  
Harry ignored the comment as usual. Ron, however, making sure Professor Trelawney was out of earshot, said, "You sure don't think she was right, do you?"  
  
"Of course, not!" said Harry. "Besides, I am going to know the truth tonight. Why should I worry?"  
  
If it was only that easy.  
  
Harry waited for the day to pass rather anxiously and hurried to his dormitory after dinner. He paced the room for sometime, trying to figure out how exactly he was going to carry out his idea. Once he got everything planned out, he waited for everyone to turn in. When he was the only person awake in his dormitory, he set out of the Gryffindor tower, invisible under his cloak. Spotting a Ravenclaw in the corridor, he closely followed her and sneaked into the Ravenclaw common room along with her.  
  
The Ravenclaw common room looked quite different from the Gryffindor common room. The walls were draped with tapestries of deep blue color and majority of portraits were of a woman, who Harry assumed to be Rowena Ravenclaw. The flames were cracking merrily in the fireplace and as Harry looked into their warmth, he spotted a girl disappearing into a staircase, and promptly followed her.  
  
The hitch was that Harry didn't know where Cho's dormitory was. Most of the doors were closed and he didn't dare open anyone of them. Deflated, when he was about to leave, he heard the familiar voice.  
  
"McGonagall herself accepted that this is highly unusual. Nevertheless, she wouldn't let me quit playing for the quidditch team!"  
  
Harry's heart leapt as he saw Cho coming up the staircase. He flattened himself against the wall and when they passed him, he began to follow them to their dormitory. He quickly slipped inside as they closed the door behind them and seated himself on the floor. How on earth was he going to talk to Cho with the girl around? Why didn't he think of it before?  
  
"So what were you and McGonagall talking about this late at night?" asked the girl.  
  
Cho hesitated for a second. "Promise me you wouldn't tell anyone."  
  
The girl looked thoroughly excited. "I promise!"  
  
"I was asking her if I could go and visit my parents," said Cho faintly.  
  
The girl looked taken aback. "Why would you ask her for something like that? I mean, we all know we can't go home except during Christmas holidays- "  
  
"I am not talking about home," interrupted Cho. "I wanted to visit them at St. Mungo's."  
  
There was a ringing silence, which was broken after a while by the girl's apprehensive voice. "Can I ask you one question?"  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Why are you still staying at Hogwarts? I don't even see you in any of the classes. What's going on?"  
  
Cho didn't respond immediately to this question. After a while, she took a deep breath. "We all know that Dumbledore formed a secret society called the Order of the Phoenix, which consisted of people who fought against You Know Who. When he declared its existence at the beginning of my 7th year, my parents immediately joined it. After all, they always supported Dumbledore in everything he did."  
  
She suddenly became sober. Harry was motionless. He clearly didn't expect to hear this sort of a thing.  
  
Cho continued, her voice shaking. "Since everybody already knew about his return, You Know Who didn't need to hide in the closet. He came out in the open and started killing people, especially the ones in the Order. My parents weren't killed, but they were seriously injured.  
  
"Dumbledore reckons he was responsible for this situation and said that I was to stay at Hogwarts till my parents recovered."  
  
The room was again filled with silence. The girl obviously didn't know what to say. Harry, on the other hand, didn't want to stay there anymore. He got up to leave, but was stopped when Cho mentioned his name.  
  
"I am really glad he died. Harry prevented a lot of students from meeting the same fate as me."  
  
Harry turned back and looked at her and noticed that her face had a faint trace of admiration in it.  
  
The girl, who kept silent all the while, suddenly spoke. "You love him, don't you?"  
  
Harry stood rooted to the spot. The truth was finally going to come out, and he found himself anticipating every moment of it.  
  
Cho looked surprised at the girl's sudden assertion. When she kept quiet, the girl pressed on. "I saw you both together at Hogsmeade in my 5th year."  
  
Cho's eyes were illuminating in the bright candle light. She opened her mouth to explain, and closed it, and again opened it, and shortly said, "It's just not possible."  
  
"Not possible for what?" said the girl, in a somewhat disappointed tone.  
  
"To forget Cedric. He was the love of my life. It's true that I liked Harry. But liking is different from loving. It's just not possible for me to love anyone else other than Cedric."  
  
"But-"  
  
"I would rather not talk about this. Good night, Margaret. Don't forget to extinguish the candle when you go to sleep."  
  
Harry didn't know how to react to the sudden outburst of reality. So Cho wasn't the person to send those letters after all. He didn't remotely feel disappointed. But one thing was for sure. He felt very light. He got the information he needed and it didn't seem to bother him at all. But what did bother him was that the girl suddenly stopped writing to him. She stopped writing to him when he started to develop feelings of love for her. She stopped writing to him when he was more than prepared to accept her for whoever she was.  
  
Harry wanted to leave the place as soon as possible. He ventured for the door, when he suddenly tripped on his cloak. For a split second, the girl named Margaret stared at him, then without warning, started to scream at the top of her voice.  
  
Panicking to the fullest extent, Harry hastily adjusted his cloak and opened the door. He could hear the girl's screaming and the anxious voice of Cho behind him. However, he ran down the stairs, perfectly aware of the fact that many sleepy heads were popping out of the doors in order to know the cause of the racquet.  
  
Harry didn't dare look behind. He wasn't even sure if the cloak was covering him properly. All he cared about was to get out of the place before a teacher showed up. The common room wasn't entirely empty and Harry heard several people gasp when the door covering the portrait hole opened all by itself.  
  
After exiting the Ravenclaw common room, Harry headed straight for the Gryffindor tower, thinking that this would be the perfect moment to jinx Peeves if he caused any more trouble than he was already facing with. When he finally reached his dormitory, he closed the hangings around his bed and dropped into it, sweating all over. He could swear that Margaret had seen him and found the thought to be extremely depressing. Trying not to think of the possible far-fetched reasons people could come up with if they knew about his presence in another house's girl's dormitory, he tried to sleep, only to dream that he was being expelled out of Hogwarts the next day.  
  
The next day, Harry woke up extremely wide eyed; he didn't sleep very well the previous night. Ron had already got up and was dressing.  
  
"Morning, mate," wished Ron.  
  
When Harry didn't say anything, Ron went over to him. "What happened last night?"  
  
"A girl saw me," said Harry quietly.  
  
"Sorry?"  
  
"A girl saw me spying on them. At least that's how she must have thought."  
  
Ron looked horrified. "You are kidding, aren't you?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Well?" he asked impatiently. "Did you get caught?"  
  
"No"  
  
"Then-"  
  
Ron was interrupted by a tap on the window. On the sill, stood an owl, which looked as if it was going to drop dead right there. Ron hurried and let the owl in. As soon as he untied two parchments from the owl's legs, it flew straight out of the window, towards the direction of the Owlery.  
  
"Who is it for?" asked Harry casually.  
  
"It's for you. One from the school Owlery and the other from.no name!"  
  
Harry couldn't believe his ears. His heart began to beat fast as he leapt from his bed and took the letters from Ron's hands. He unrolled the parchment that bore no name on it and began to read. It was a very short letter, but it lifted Harry's spirits greatly. He handed the letter to Ron, who read it aloud.  
  
Come to the Hog's head over the coming Hogsmeade weekend. I will be wearing white.  
  
Ron was ginning broadly. "I am very happy for you, mate. At last, you are going to know who she is. What does the other letter say?"  
  
"It's from the owlery." Harry opened it and read it aloud.  
  
Dear Mr. Potter,  
  
We apologize profusely for not being able to deliver the letter accompanying this note on time. The owl your sender chose was severely weather-beaten and the post was delayed for two days. We will be on the case from now on to make sure the problem doesn't persist any longer.  
  
Greetings School Owlery  
  
"Blimey!" exclaimed Ron after hearing to the letter. "Owls are getting so unpredictable these days. Able enough to drop dead at the drop of a hat! Anyway, what happened yesterday night?"  
  
Harry turned forlorn again. "Cho and this girl named Margaret were talking about why she had to stay back after her 7th year at Hogwarts. It seems that her parents were part of the Order of the Phoenix and in their fight with Voldemort, they were injured and are currently in St. Mungo's."  
  
"Let me guess," piped up Ron. "Dumbledore let Cho stay in the castle till her parents recovered. Right?"  
  
"Yeah. And she doesn't love me. She still loves Cedric."  
  
"So how exactly did you get caught?"  
  
"I didn't get caught!" said Harry impatiently. "After the conversation had ended, I didn't need to stay there anymore. When I was about to leave, I tripped on the cloak and that's when she saw me."  
  
"Does she know who you are?" asked Ron anxiously.  
  
"No idea," replied Harry. "I adjusted the cloak before it could uncover my face completely, though. She could only guess."  
  
"Hope she didn't see you, mate!" said Ron nervously. "If she goes to McGonagall-"  
  
"Don't sound like Hermione- wait. I didn't see Hermione yesterday. Did you happen to see her by any chance?"  
  
"No," said Ron, suddenly sounding dense. "I don't know and I don't care. Now dress up. I can feel the Hogwarts express steaming in my stomach."  
  
Harry dressed up quietly and they both left for breakfast. For some reason or the other, the atmosphere in the great hall seemed to be indifferent. Hoping ardently that the Ravenclaws didn't spread the news about his presence in their tower the night before to the whole school, he headed towards the Gryffindor table. No sooner he took his seat, he was rounded by Professor McGonagall.  
  
"Mr. Potter. To my office."  
  
It didn't take a great deal of effort for Harry to guess the reason behind the sudden invitation. Sharing a nervous glance at Ron, he followed her quietly to her office. When he stepped inside, his stomach turned over. Margaret and Professor Snape were already sitting in the office. They were the last ones he would like to see together in a situation as serious as this.  
  
Professor McGonagall didn't even ask Harry to take a seat. He merely stood there, gaping at the three of them as if he didn't have a clue as to what was going on.  
  
"Is he the intruder, Miss. Jones?" McGonagall asked Margaret, gesturing towards Harry.  
  
Margaret began to look closely at Harry, who seemed to have lost his tongue. He didn't dare to defend himself if she girl said yes, let alone lie to McGonagall.  
  
After a while, the girl shouted, "Yes. He was the one. I clearly remember the scar and the glasses!"  
  
"Well?" said Snape, as if he just won a jackpot. "How do you explain this, Mr. Potter?"  
  
Harry kept quiet. McGonagall sounded as if she was resisting an enormous outlet of fire out of her nostrils. "Do you accept the guilt, Mr. Potter?"  
  
Harry nodded silently. After all, he had a reason to go there. He wasn't going to act timidly in front of Snape. "Yes. I do."  
  
"OUTRAGEOUS!" spat McGonagall. Her nostrils were clearly on fire. "WHAT AN UNWORTHY ACT! GOING INTO THE RAVENCLAW TOWER BY STEALTH, AND INTO THE GIRL'S DORMITORY, LATE AT NIGHT! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? 50 POINTS OFF GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
Harry was determined not to let slip of anything. After shouting at Harry for some more time at her fullest potential, Professor McGonagall took her chair, thoroughly exhausted. Snape however looked very lively.  
  
"What punishment do you suggest for him, Minerva?" asked Snape with eternal glee, which according to Harry, made him look ten times as ugly as he already was.  
  
"Nothing seems to work on him, Severus!" said McGonagall, her voice full of disgust. "There is no point in giving detentions or taking house points off!"  
  
"May I suggest, Minerva," said Snape, removing his greasy hair from his eyes, "that we restrict Mr. Potter access to certain privileges his fellow students enjoy?"  
  
"Excellent idea, Severus!" said Professor McGonagall. "I grant you the permission to decide the appropriate punishment."  
  
"Thanks indeed, Minerva," said Snape. "From now on, Mr. Potter will be banned from future Hogsmeade visits."  
  
"NO," shouted Harry. "You can't do this. At least for the upcoming weekend."  
  
"I think this is a brilliant idea, Severus," said McGonagall triumphantly. "This should teach you the seriousness of what you have done, Mr. Potter. You may go now."  
  
Harry stood there, not being able to digest the severity of the injustice.  
  
"You may go now, Mr. Potter!" repeated McGonagall severely.  
  
Harry threw Snape a look of indisputable aversion and left the place, slamming the door shut behind him. He went to the great hall, with his head buzzing.  
  
"What happened?" was the first thing Ron asked when Harry sat beside him. He noticed that Ron's toast was untouched.  
  
"She recognized me," said Harry through gritted teeth. "I can't go to Hogsmeade anymore." He was having a hard time trying to suppress his rage at Snape.  
  
"WHAT?" said Ron, with his eyes slightly popping out. "Then what about your meeting?"  
  
"It was Snape,' said Harry. "He came up with the idea."  
  
"Thought so!" said Ron in an extremely loathsome tone. "Only that greasy head can come up with such stinking ideas. Wait a minute---HARRY!"  
  
Harry jumped up in surprise. "What happened?"  
  
"Didn't you get it? That's about the greatest thing Snape can ever do for you."  
  
"What do you mean? I won't be able to meet-"  
  
"You can!" said Ron with euphoria. "Remember, the statue of the one-eyed witch!"  
  
"What stat-" he broke off, finally getting what Ron was talking about. "The one Fred and George showed me in our third year!"  
  
"Yeah. It leads directly to Hogsmeade and now you can meet her without any problem. Just make sure you have your cloak."  
  
"Thank you very much, Ron," said Harry, feeling greatly indebted to him. "You are the coolest!"  
  
"I am," said Ron, thoroughly elated. "And I am coming with you."  
  
"Why?" asked Harry. "You are allowed to go, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes. I am. But I never tried the passageway of the one-eyed witch and I really want to know how it is."  
  
Harry agreed to Ron's request and they both left to their Transfiguration class in high spirits.  
  
Harry and Ron waited eagerly for the Hogsmeade weekend to arrive. Harry was having a great difficulty, suppressing his glee at the prospect of finally meeting the girl. However, he managed to look gloomy whenever he passed Snape or McGonagall, incase they feel dubious.  
  
The weekend finally arrived and Harry and Ron were ardently waiting for the students to departure. Once the castle was empty, except for the first and second years, who were buzzing excitedly in their common rooms, Harry and Ron set out of the Gryffindor tower to the statue of the one-eyed witch on the third floor, with the cloak safely hidden under his arm. Making sure no teacher was prowling around, Harry tapped the statue and muttered, "Dissendium"  
  
The hunch on the witch's back opened, revealing a couple of stairs that led to a passageway. They settled themselves in the statue and Harry closed the hunch behind them. They cautiously descended the stairs and started walking.  
  
"What are you standing there for?" said Harry to Ron, who fell back, reluctant to pass a line of spiders on the way.  
  
"I never thought this would be so.spidery," said Ron repulsively.  
  
"What would you expect to see in a deserted passageway?" asked Harry, grinning.  
  
Ron tried to walk flat against the wall to avoid the spiders and accidentally tripped on a stone. The stone rolled over and settled itself at Harry's feet.  
  
"OUCH!"  
  
"That's likely to happen if you walk with your eyes in the sky," said Harry and hurried to Ron to heave him off the floor.  
  
"Hey! What is this?" said Ron pointing to an opening in the wall the stone had been previously covering.  
  
"What opening?" said Harry distractedly as he helped Ron to his feet.  
  
"Look at it," said Ron as he picked up something from the gap. "WOW!"  
  
Harry noticed the thing Ron was holding and took it from him. It was the most imposing book he ever came across. The hardback was embellished with a golden tinted covering and the borders were of immaculate silver embroidery. He opened the book and scanned the first page. After a while, he looked up. "Looks like some girl had lost her diary."  
  
*****  
  
Back home, Hermione was flinging her clothes all over her room in search of something she considered next to her life. When she couldn't find it, she sat back on her bed, exhausted; she had forgotten the diary at school.  
  
Little did she know that the diary was about to fulfill its long-awaited purpose.  
  
-TBC- 


End file.
